If you think that the studs on your jeans are there just for the aesthetic, you’re mistaken. But don’t worry, most people had no clue either. We are so used to wearing jeans over the past seventy years that neither the tiny pockets nor small metal studs raise questions. Meanwhile, the idea behind the latter will blow your mind.
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They keep your jeans together
It turns out, not only do the small studs serve a purpose, but they also have a name.
The circular silver or copper studs on jeans are called ‘rivets’. They were invented all the way back in 1873 and added onto jeans to hold them together at places they would most likely come apart, such as the pockets.
Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss, the pioneers of the global jean company Levi Strauss & Co, even received a US patent for rivets, which was seen as an ‘improvement in fastening pocket-openings.’
Their website reveals:
By adding metal rivets to work pants, which would be known as blue jeans, they created stronger pants for working men.
People were clueless
The reason behind the rivets emerged after someone took to Reddit to ask if anyone knew what they were for. People wanted to know the story behind, since they appeared 'on all jeans'.
The question read:
Do they serve a purpose, practical or otherwise? If not, why are they there?
Once the rivets' purpose was revealed, someone commented on the post:
I was today years old.
Another Reddit user joked:
Pretty sure their main purpose is scratching my phone.
Joking aside, we should probably be grateful to the genius invention of rivets for keeping our jeans from coming apart right on our rear ends.
Sources used:
- The Sun: 'People are only just realising what the little metal studs on your jeans are for, and it’s blowing their minds'