It may – or may not – come as a surprise to you, but the blue jeans, one of the most iconic symbols of American 20th-century pop culture, are an Italian invention! In fact, if we really want to be precise, it’s an Italian American invention, because if it’s true that the fabric comes from Italy, jeans wouldn’t be jeans without Levi Strauss.

The southern French town of Nîmes used to produce a sturdy blue fabric which was exported in very large quantities to Genoa, to make sailors’ pants. The fabric, which was sturdy but comfortable, and was known as blue de Gênes, or Genoa blue.