Ladies Jeans in India

Ladies’ Jeans – cross country fashion


Ratnakar, New Delhi 110001
Date: 31-01-2010

Three patents that changed the world of textile are credited to an Englishman called Edmund Cartwrite who sought patents in 1785 for a cloth manufacturing machine, in 1797 a patent for rope making and in 1798 another patent for wool combing machine. He also established a factory in 1785 for making cloths. Over 20,000 years an art of hand sewing existed. But invention of sewing machine has brought new revolution in garment industry and stitching of jean pants. Though there are contradictory claims about inventors as each of the advanced countries like inventors of Germany, French, Britain, America etc. have patented since 1790 to 1845. Since then lot has changed.

Wearing a saree by women was symbolic to Indian custom and tradition. In modern world dressing preference for men and women is identical. Though pants and jeans were originally designed for men, but it use by female have increased considerably. Dresses symbolize culture of country. Traditionally Indian women wore saree, lehnga, choli, (Langa or Lengha). Sarees were preferred in majority of Indian states, but draping style differ from states to state, like dupatta from breast to back or from back to breast. Usually sarees are over 18 feet to 21 feet. It is wrapped around waist once and making flat folds of about six inches over 10 times or till the balance length is adequate to drape over blouse and to cover behind through shoulder. Though not disappeared as yet sarees are confined to middle aged or old ladies. Punjab state has traditional female dress called salwar kameez or salwar suit consisting of a kameez, salwar and dopatta (scraf). But all over India, new generation prefer dresses of their age. Pants and Jeans belonged to cow boy styles in western films but have spread to all over world.

Younger generation males and females prefer jeans to customary costume. Torn legging, or wearing of tight and torn jeans at more than one spot like thighs and below knee is in vogue. Midi and mini skirt with open legs too is a fashion. Close look at dressing preference among the college going boys and girls will reveal the craze for jeans. Thus it appears is a global phenomenon. All colleges and college campuses look like jean dominated costume. Youths prefer jeans to their customary or traditional dresses. Branded jeans (like Levis, Wrangler, Lee, Denim etc. costing anything between $30 to $ 75 depending upon brand, shade and shape) for ladies have replaced most of customary and traditional wears from almost all societies’. Popular colours of ladies’ jeans are : back stage blue, blue rail, blue wave, dusty road, west coast, antique, mist, black, solid black, sapphire, twilight, dusk dark blue, vintage worn medium blue, blue wave dark blue, west coast light blue, worn billie (medium dark blue) etc. Usually jeans are thick and made of 99 per cent cotton. Cotton is harvested, processed in ginning mills and converted into thread by spinning mills. Then through weaving process thread is transformed into clothes. Fashion design and sewing makes the cloth that men and women wear.

South Asian countries’ middle aged and old females do wear different dress on the special occasions like wedding, birthday celebrations, or festivals in which ethnic or according to customs. India, Pakistan, Srilanka, have common in garments like salwar, kamiz ,saree, chiffon, georgette, koshiboo, crepe, charmause, silk, staple, cotton, blended fabrics in dyed, print and embroidery etc. Attraction of female garment is attributed primarily to printing, dyeing and embroidery, machine or hand printing, spray painting, block printing, rotary printing, flok printing and screen printing as well as hand & machine embroideries. In some countries embroidery involves silk or resham work, dabkaa work, cutwork with beats, sindhi embroidery and specialized stitches. Younger generation till their marriage have freedom of dress selection. Obvious is jean is preferred choice especially among college going young generation girls irrespective strata and advanced or developing countries. It is going to stay, not merely as fashion but also for convenient.
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