Object: Man's jeans
Brand:
Levi's
(American, founded 1873)
Date: 1950s
Medium: Denim
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of Richard Martin
Object number: 89.50.5
DescriptionDark blue denim button fly five pocket jeans
Label Text:During the 1950s, denim became linked to rebels, bikers, and juvenile delinquents. This was largely thanks to films such as The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando. As menswear expert Bruce Boyer observes, “Brando’s denim jeans and black leather jacket identified him as a challenger of society as much as his sneer of insolence.” Due to this association, jeans were banned from many school districts as a symbol—even a cause—of teenage unrest.
Exhibitions:
- Denim: Fashion’s Frontier
- Fashion & Politics