Denim takes its name from “de Nîmes,” referring to a serge made in Nîmes, France. The French phrase literally means “from Nîmes,” linking the textile’s name to the southern French city.
Denim is a sturdy cotton fabric woven in a warp-faced twill pattern, which creates its familiar diagonal ribbing. In traditional blue denim, the lengthwise warp threads are dyed indigo while the crosswise weft threads remain white, making the outside blue and the inside noticeably lighter.
The cloth’s history is older than modern blue jeans. Nîmes had a textile tradition, while indigo dye used in European cloth was historically imported through trade routes connected with Genoa and South Asia. The word “denim” identifies the fabric, whereas “jeans” refers to garments made from it; “jean” is associated with Genoa, another important textile-trade city.
A common mix-up is assuming denim means any blue cotton cloth. Denim specifically describes the weave and construction, and it can be made in colors other than blue.