Denim is a type of woven twill fabric, usually made from cotton. It consists of two yarns that are woven together. The yarn that runs across—known as the weft—is threaded over and under the yarn that runs downwards, which is called the warp.

Denim is usually yarn-dyed with indigo. That means the warp yarns are dyed before they’re woven into denim, while the weft yarns are left undyed or bleached.

Raw denim is denim that hasn’t been washed or treated. It is the purest form of denim, and the primary choice of denim for denimheads.

Raw denim is also known as ‘dry denim’ and ‘unwashed denim.’

Heavyweight denim is denim that is heavier than 16 oz. per square yard. You can read much what denim weight is and why it matters here.

One of the most common problems that wearer of jeans had was that pocket corners and other stress points would wear out and tear prematurely.

In January of 1871, a tailor of Latvian descent named Jacob W. Davis, who lived in Reno in Nevada, started hammering copper rivets onto the places where his customers would often rip their pants; at the pocket corners and the base of the fly.

This was the invention of riveted blue jeans, and rivets are still the most important defining feature of the jeans we wear today.

The name ‘jeans’ is believed to have derived from the anglicised word for Genes, the demonym for people from Genoa in Italy.

Genoa was a hub for trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Sailing merchants from Genoa traded their goods throughout Europe, particularly to England and France.