Adelmo Fernandes
I have grown up wearing jean pants. It was a fashion statement in the past. It still is and probably will never go out of fashion. Jeans could be consider as an apparel for eternity. In the past we were probably influenced to wear blue jeans by all the western movies we would watch on the big screen. It must be said that the good old blue jeans has undergone a sea-change over the years. Now we also have short jean-pants. The faded jeans became a fashion statement in the past. The pants were faded indifferent places. It was referred to as stone-washed jeans and became quite popular. This was later replaced by jeans with patch-ups.
Jeans had patches of denim cloth stitched at odd places. But now the style statement is shredded jeans. The other day I saw a cartoon on the social-media which showed a beggar wearing torn clothes staring at two modern ladies wearing shredded jeans. The beggar remarked that at least the type of clothes he wears are now in fashion. I may sound old-fashioned but shredded jeans do not appeal to me. They do not seem fashionable. I sometimes wonder whether the jeans had to undergo immense “torture” while being shredded in so many places or if it is in present state as a result of over-use or “having seen better days”.
The shredded jeans have less of cloth and shows more of the skin. It has become immensely popular among Bollywood stars. The shreds are increasing. It seems that more shredded the jeans are, the more fashionable they are. Now the shreds appear to be replaced by gaping holes in the jeans pants.
Jeans are pants made from denim. They have a long and colourful history behind it. They were invented by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873 and is timeless as far as fashion is concerned. Denim Jeans made for the working class, has fascinated the poor and the rich alike, and has even survived the changing fashion trends of the youth for over a century. Today, the word jeans stand for a necessary fashion garment to be owned by every class and section of the society.
Jeans has also had a colourful history in India. The increasing Western influence with many MNCs operating here has changed lifestyles and fashion trends of the youth. Not so long ago, no good quality jeans were available in India for domestic customers. In fact, it is understood that before India started manufacturing jeans domestically, they were mostly imported from western counties. In 1995 launched the first branded Indian jeans after realizing the market potential, since then many MNCs like Lee and Levis started their marketing in India. Jeans pant can be a great leveler. The dirty rich wear them, the commoner wears it.
