It is difficult to find a garment as versatile as jean pants. And among them, the most iconic model is probably the Levi’s 501, the only jean that practically everyone knows by name. The quintessential jeans have celebrated their 150th anniversary this week in an industry that last year moved 88,000 million euros –see graph– and that, despite technological advances, continues to cause a great environmental impact.
The anniversary, which the multinational Levi Strauss has been celebrating for months, has had a direct impact on the collections that the main fashion chains have put on sale this year, once again boosting the denim market. “On last year’s catwalks we already saw that Texan fashion was coming with great force, surely influenced by the 150th anniversary of the Levi’s 501; Jeans have been the protagonists this 2023, in all their versions, total looks, jean dresses and tops have abounded… and this season you are nobody if you do not have a long jean skirt â€, emphasize sources from the textile industry.
Since businessmen Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis launched the 501 in 1873, jean pants have adapted to practically all circumstances and cultural movements, penetrating social strata across the board. It started as a garment for miners in the United States, then for jeans… During World War I, American women began donning overalls to take over manual labor while men fought in Europe. They rose as a symbol of youth counterculture when Marlon Brando dressed them in The Wild One and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Madonna wore them in the video clip for Papa do not preach, an ode to the American humble class… and later they were validated as suitable for the aristocracy when Lady Di chose them for one of her appearances. On a professional level, Steve Jobs used to opt for them in his Apple presentations. They are worn by rich and poor and have no age limit.
“Jeans stand out as a totally mandatory product in fast fashion firms. They account for between 15% and 25% of sales and move a lot of volume both in sales and in marginâ€, says Néstor Hap, associate director and partner for Fashion and Luxury at BCG.
Hap, who has studied the production of more than 50 jean manufacturers in the world -they are mainly concentrated in Bangladesh, Turkey or Tunisia- points out that a jean pants that is sold in stores for between 30 and 40 dollars, has a cost $7-$12 ex-factory if purchased in bulk. “Some 3,200 million units are sold in the world and growth of 2.5% per year is expected until 2026,” he adds.
Large companies have been formed around the jean pants. Apart from Levi Strauss (in his last year he had a turnover of 6,186 million dollars and earned 569 million, more than before the pandemic), Lee, Guess or, already in Spain, Pepe Jeans (now owned by All We Wear Group) stand out. Brands from the luxury sector such as Dolce
“The 501 continues to be one of the company’s best-selling products with a growth that reaches 25% in the first quarter of 2023, which marks the 150th anniversary of its birth,” they say from Levi Strauss to explain the validity of their jeans. . Denim pants contribute 60% of their income today.
But if the jean industry is healthy in terms of sales and market power, it still has a score to settle with the pollution it generates.
“The traditional method of manufacturing a pair of jeans uses an average of 70 liters of water per unit,” in addition to the chemical products it releases, explains Carmen Silla, from the Spanish company Jeanologia, specialized in technological solutions to reduce the ecological footprint of the textile industry. Founded in Valencia 25 years ago by Enrique Silla, it is a technological partner of Levi Strauss and works with companies such as Inditex or Mango. “The use of laser technology –continues Carmen Silla–, of ozone, nano bubbles and H2O reduces the water needed to manufacture a Texan to one liter and reuses the water resources it usesâ€. The most implanted for now among the manufacturers that feed the big brands are laser and ozone, “although there is still a long way to go,” they say from Jeanologia.
For the jean pants to maintain its reign for another 150 years, it will have to adapt to the new environmental requirements.
