Where Did Blue Jeans Begin? | Riveted: The History of Jeans | American Experience | PBS

Summary

The origin and significance of blue jeans are explored, highlighting the historical development of dungaree, Genoan sail cloth, and serge de Nimes, all often dyed blue with indigo. This "devil's dye," once worth its weight in gold, involved a magical transformation from a green vat to a blue fabric, a process deeply intertwined with African cultures and brought to the Americas by enslaved people, thus linking indigo to the economic foundation of the colonial experiment.