The First-Ever Designer To Show Jeans On The Runway
365 days of fashion: the e-ncyclopedia of fashion
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Denim has made a long road since the fabric was discovered in the late 17th century. From the creation of blue jeans by Levi Strauss in 1873 to becoming the favorite utilitarian garment in the early 20th century, to exploding in the American culture in the 1950s and becoming a symbol of freedom and sexual revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, decade by decade, jeans have been reaching new milestones.
Today, we would like to share with you a key chapter in the history of denim: the introduction of designer jeans in the late 1970s.
Do you know who was the first ever designer to show jeans on the runway?
The prize goes to…
The American fashion designer launched his label in 1968 with just $10.000, lent by his best friend Barry Schwartz. Klein’s first collections included coats, dresses, sportswear, blazers, lingerie, and accessories, and in 1976, he added jeans to the product assortment and became the first fashion designer to show jeans on the runway.
In 1978, the brand launched Calvin Klein Jeans. The commercial success was inevitable. Already during the first week on the market,