Jean — Blue

This newfound association with youth rebellion worried the establishment. Some schools in the United States even banned blue jeans, fearing they were a gateway to delinquency. But the bans only fueled the fire. For the first time, wearing a pair of Levi’s or Lee’s was an act of defiance. The blue jean had found its soul.

The rivets worked brilliantly. However, Davis lacked the money to file for a patent. He wrote a letter to his fabric supplier, a San Francisco businessman named Levi Strauss. Strauss, a German immigrant running a dry goods wholesale business, saw the potential immediately. On May 20, 1873, the pair received U.S. Patent No. 139,121 for an "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings." The blue jean was born. Blue Jean

Suddenly, a could cost $200. Brands like Calvin Klein, Guess, and Sergio Valente turned the blue jean into a status symbol. The marketing was unabashedly sexual—most famously the Brooke Shields ad: "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins." This newfound association with youth rebellion worried the