By Kristen Philipkoski / Source: Eat, Sleep, Denim

01-fit-denim-exhibit-gucci_Fotor_Collage

Denim is the reason why this site—and many others—exist, and according to anthropologists (so says Vogue, and we believe it!), half the United States’ population wears it every day. So it’s no surprise The Museum at FIT has curated a permanent collection to celebrate this most popular woven’s history. The exhibition, entitled Denim: Fashion’s Frontier, is now open and runs through May 1.

Curator Emma McClendon has collected jeans from as far back as the 1800s all the way up to contemporary looks from designers including Gucci and Junya Watanabe. The pieces were worn by cattle ranchers, miners, motorcycle gangs, hippies, prisoners, factory workers, hip-hop artists, housewives and

While Vogue first featured denim in 1935 as part of a spread on dude ranch attire, the fabric didn’t “enter the fashion sphere” until the 1970s, says McClendon told the magazine. Fashion or not, one of the oldest garments in the exhibit is a woman’s jacket from the 1850s. She tells Vogue that denim’s journey to the wardrobe staple it is today was circuitous:

At first jeans were advertised as workwear and the emphasis was on their durability. Then, in the 1930s, it became about how they were Westernwear. In the 1950s, we see ads for women’s ‘California ranch pants’ that were aimed at a suburban audience.

Despite its long road into our closests, it’s amazing to think that only about 40 years ago denim was rarely seen on the streets. The exhibit is all the more proof that denim is the most versatile fabric on the planet—and here to stay as a fashion must.

this-new-exhibit-will-teach-you-everything-you-never-knew-about-denim-1578471-1448998520.640x0c

this-new-exhibit-will-teach-you-everything-you-never-knew-about-denim-1578468-1448998518.640x0c

this-new-exhibit-will-teach-you-everything-you-never-knew-about-denim-1578469-1448998519.640x0c

this-new-exhibit-will-teach-you-everything-you-never-knew-about-denim-1578470-1448998519.640x0c

Read more @ Eat, Sleep, Denim