By Nelda Rich


Jean rivets were first used to make working trousers for miners sturdier. Today they are ways to decorate, customize, and distinguish high fashion wear. There is a wide variety of styles made in many materials and tools to make your own or enhance the appeal of your commercial product.

In the latter half of the 1800s, Levi Strauss was a merchant selling supplies to the Gold Rush miners. Denim trousers were popular for its durability, but the pockets and front fly were prone to wear out before the rest of the garment. Jacob Davis, a tailor in the same area, thought of using rivets instead of stitches to make stronger seams. The two entrepreneurs teamed up, getting a patent for the idea in 1873.

Denim pants soon became known as Levis, as working men liked the new, stronger construction. Soldiers and factory workers wore riveted denims, as well as working men of all sorts. The baggy pants ere designed like bib overalls, without the bib.

Perceived first as a symbol of teen rebellion, they were not acceptable garb in schools and other public places at first. Now they are worn everywhere by people of all ages and sexes, for dressy occasions as well as for leisure activities and outdoor tasks.

Blue jeans, considered an American trademark, are now popular all over the world. Prices range from affordable to designer. All colors of denim are used today, when jeans have become more fashion than function. Stone-washing, or pre-fading, became popular in the 1970s, and in the new century you can buy them with worn patches, rips, and tears. In fact, there is a big market for used jeans. Styles range from boot cut for those who work in boots to narrow legged pants that look good with stilettos to baggy ones reminiscent of prison issued wear.

Rivets, which often carried the logo of the manufacturer, can now be custom designed to carry your logo, instead. Once confined to pocket corners and front openings, they now are used to decorate anywhere, from back pockets to down the leg and all over the cuffs. Metal is still popular, in many finishes and shapes, but you can also find them in crystal or acrylic. They can hold a coin, be as large or as small as you like, and add flare to other garments as well as pants.

Off-the-rack designs come ready-riveted, or you can make your own designs on plain jeans. Of course, you can make the entire garment, since denim is also sold by the yard, and there are many sources of rivets and other decorative accents. Power tools or hand tools can be bought online, if you want to do it yourself.

It is fun to see the kinds of jeans rivets available today for those who want to make a fashion statement.




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