On Wednesday, California lawmakers approved Assembly Bill- 501, declaring denim as the state's official fabric. State symbols represent the history and culture of a state, so it makes sense denim may make the cut if approved by Gov. Jerry Brown.
"Denim is much more than just a fabric. Denim’s history is interwoven with California history from the 1850s through today."
AB-501 says the history of denim jeans is parallel with California's history. Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco during the Gold Rush Era. The first pair was made by a brand you've likely heard of: Levi Strauss & Co. The denim icon evolved and became a symbol of American culture, according to the bill.
Jeans have been worn by gold miners, cowboys, farm workers, rock stars, beatniks, and hippies. They were featured in the first Hollywood silent films and became an iconic costume in films. Today, The Golden State makes about 75 percent of premium denim jeans sold around the globe.
Denim even has a local connection. Cotton is used to produce denim and in California, cotton is mainly grown in the San Joaquin Valley with some crops in the Sacramento Valley.
Cotton isn't just important to the California culture-- it's the state fabric of Texas. So California isn't the only state with an official fabric.
Denim may be California's latest proposed symbol, but it'd join a colorful bunch of symbols that already represent the state. Here's 7 California state symbols you may not know about:
- State Dance: West Coast Swing Dancing
- State Fossil: saber-toothed cat
- State Insect: California dogface butterfly
- State Grass: purple needlegrass
- State fife and drum band: The California Consolidated Drum Band
- State Amphibian: California red-legged frog
- State soil: San Joaquin soil
You can contact your State Senate or Assembly member if you'd like to propose a new state symbol.
