Blue jeans have a history deeply rooted in slavery, as the fabric used to make them—denim—was originally produced from cotton grown by enslaved people in the American South. Cotton was one of the primary crops cultivated on plantations using forced labor, and the profits from this industry fueled the global textile trade. Additionally, enslaved people often wore durable, rugged fabrics like denim, providing the blueprint for the hard-wearing, utilitarian nature of blue jeans. Thus, while today blue jeans symbolize casual, everyday wear, their origins are intertwined with the exploitation and suffering of enslaved Black laborers.
Conceptual Materials Social Practice Artist