Who invented denim?

Answer 1

Typically dyed blue by indigo, denim, a serge cloth thought to have originated in Nimes, France, and jean, a similarly woven material, both long predate Levi Strauss' birth. Ironically, Strauss created brown and blue denims for overland and underground (mining) use based on sturdy work pants made popular by Genoese sailors. Jacob Davis added copper rivets, for which Levi Strauss and Company received a U.S. patent in 1873.

Denim trousers were invented in Chieri, a town near Turin (Italy), during the Renaissance, and were popularised in the 16th century. These trousers were sold through the harbour of Genoa in Italy, which was the capital of the independent Republic of Genoa which was a naval power. Early examples of these trousers were made for the Italian Genoese Navy, which required all-purpose pants for its sailors. They required pants that could be worn wet or dry, the legs of which could easily be rolled up to wear while swabbing the deck. These jeans were laundered by dragging them in large mesh nets behind the ship, and the exposure to sea water and sun would gradually bleach them to white. They were especially worn by Genoan sailors and stevedores.