Noticed The Small Buttons On The Pockets Of Your Denims? They’re There For A Reason

Ever since I started wearing jeans, I always had this question on my mind – why do we have these small buttons on the pockets of our jeans? I used to bother my mom asking her why we had an extra small pocket when we already had four large pockets! My poor mom used to try and convince me every time with a new answer hoping that I’d stop pestering her with my questions. But I was never satisfied with her reasons. Her replies were funny – these small buttons are there just for style, they make your pants look more trendy.

And since she could not find any other reason for the small buttons, she used to trick me by telling that there are two types of pockets in your jeans so that you can keep the coins in the smaller pocket and notes in the larger pocket. And trust me, I almost believed that answer and started keeping my money like that! I still do that sometimes!

But the most convincing answer was that those small pockets were called watch pockets, and they are made so that we could keep our pocket watch there. I heard the same thing from many people, and I saw that in some vintage movies as well! And to hold the weight of those pocket watches, those buttons were placed on the jeans.

Then one fine day, I was just going through a fashion magazine where I found this blog about Levi Strauss & Co. It was then that I came to know about the historical background behind this. I realized that those small pockets are there for a genuine reason and not to hold our pocket watch!

The real story behind the small buttons on the pockets of our denim is as follows:

Earlier in 1870s, jeans were basically worn by cowboys and laborers, especially those who used to work in gold mines. And during that time, the jeans pocket getting ripped off while at work was a very common problem.

Then, a San Francisco-based tailor came up with a solution to this issue since he had been involved in repairing torn pockets constantly. He thought of adding copper buttons, also called as rivets, that could be sewn on the corners of the upper edges of the jeans. This could prevent the pockets from ripping off.

But, he was not that financially stable at that time to incorporate this idea, and unfortunately, he could not even find a source of funding. He had a gut feeling that his idea was a good one, so he did not lose hope and approached his fabric supplier, Levi Strauss. And luckily, Levi Strauss offered to help Jacob, pay for the patent, and set up the business of manufacturing jeans with riveted pockets.

The robustness of these pockets soon became popular in San Francisco and quickly spread across the country. And these riveted pockets are now an integral part of most jeans.

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Author

Jyotsana RaoBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Jyotsana Rao is an engineering graduate from NIT, Nagpur, who discovered her love for writing during her undergraduate days. She is passionate about writing about everything related to beauty - makeup, fashion, hairstyles, skin care, or hair care and has 4 years of experience on writing in these genres.

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