Small secret pocket Why your jeans have a mini pocket
Have you ever wondered why your jeans have a mini pocket? blue News explains what the tiny little pocket was originally intended for.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Jeans have a small fifth pocket, originally intended for practical purposes such as stowing matches in mines or pocket watches.
- This mini pocket was already part of the basic equipment of the first jeans models.
- While today the pocket is subject to fashion changes and often no longer has any practical use, it remains a relic from the history of jeans and their original functionality.
Jeans have five pockets. Yes, you read that right. Five - and not just the two at the back and the two at the front. The fifth one is mini, sits inside the large compartment at the front right and is hardly used today.
It used to be different, because in the heyday of blue trousers, the mini jeans pocket definitely had its purpose. But first, let's go back to the beginnings of the famous garment: in 1873, industrialist Levi Strauss (1829-1902) and tailor Jacob Davis (1831-1908) applied for a patent for riveted work pants. This marked the beginning of a real success story.
While jeans used to be work trousers, today practically everyone has a pair at home. They are part of the basic wardrobe, have become an integral part of fashion and are now also worn in executive suites.
This is what the small jeans pocket was designed for
While the original design only had four pockets, today every pair of jeans has five. But anyone who thinks that the mini pocket was missing in the past is wrong. It was actually very useful. It was the pocket at the back left that was added later.
Coins, lint, hair or chewing gum - what could even fit in the tiny little pocket? In the 19th century, workers in coal and ore mines placed the matches they needed for their carbide lamps there.
Gradually, the mini pouch was also used for other things. Pocket watches, for example, found a place in it, which were otherwise awkwardly carried in the vest pocket, where they often fell out while working. Coins were also stored in it, which is why the compartment is often called a watch or coin pocket.
Today, the mini extra pocket is cut differently
Nowadays, however, the mini jeans pocket is hardly used any more. In many cases, it has also been adapted for the sake of fashion - it is now smaller, narrower or, in a few exceptions, no longer exists at all. In some models, there is hardly room for anything.
In comparison, the first jeans models were standardized in terms of cut, color and fit. And the standard also included a small, usable extra pocket in the right trouser pocket, which was always the same in terms of position, shape and size.
