2023-10-10 01:30:50
Maria Dobronozhenko
1 time ago
Any scarce product in the Soviet Union was a welcome gift for every citizen. Whether it’s foreign toys for children or denim pants – jeans – quickly gained popular love. But it was very difficult to buy them.
For us, jeans have long been a staple item in our wardrobe. But for our parents, getting the perfect American jeans made from high-quality blue denim, and even in the right size, was like winning the lottery. After all, they were sold only under the counter.
For the first time, Soviet citizens saw what a new product the Americans had invented in 1957 at the World Youth Congress. The perfect blue jeans, with fades, metal studs and traditional pockets, caught the attention of one and all. This wardrobe item has become desirable for both young and old, and representatives of both sexes of completely different classes.
Jeans sellers
Fragment from the film “Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession”
In the 60-70s, it was very difficult to get original Levis, Lee or Wrangler jeans. They were brought to the USSR from abroad by smuggling. Only people who often travel abroad – sailors, diplomats or flight attendants – might bring a pair or two of American pants. The jeans were resold by the black marketers at a very inflated price. Of course, most of the goods on the black market were not original – it happened that especially advanced sellers sewed American tags onto fakes from India and Europe. But even for such pants, Soviet citizens were ready to pay their hard-earned money.
A distinctive feature of the original jeans was the natural formation of abrasions in the fabric over time. There was a legend that if you run a wet match along your trouser leg, the sulfur will take on a blue tint; this was an indicator of the original. But in fact, this is just a folk story, but the counterfeiters gladly used it and poured blue paint on the fakes to pass them off as the original.
Soviet jeans production
By the end of the 1970s, the leaders of the light industry were tired of fighting counterfeiters and counterfeiters and gave the order to establish their own denim production and sewing jeans in the USSR. But the problem was that Soviet blue pants resembled original American jeans only in name. Domestic denim was heavily covered in blue paint, so there might be no talk of natural abrasions, the metal rivets rusted following washing, and the styles were similar to ordinary work pants.
The only manufacturer of Soviet jeans that achieved popularity among citizens was the Tver plant. This city was the first to start purchasing high-quality denim from India and sewing models that are partially similar to American ones.
Fashion for “varenki”
Varenki jeans – the cult of Soviet youth of the 80s
In the 80s, there was a real heyday of “varenki” – jeans with scuffs, which were achieved in a special way. Creative citizens began to organize a real chemical laboratory for cooking jeans in their kitchen. With the help of bleach, in 15 minutes it was possible to achieve artificial aging of even Soviet jeans models. Some rubbed the jeans with a pumice stone until they turned white, until the blue dye came off the cotton.
It was only in the 90s that jeans ceased to be considered a scarce commodity. Original models of American brands began to be supplied to the Russian market, which might be purchased for adequate money.
Photo source: still from the film, youtube screenshot, VKontakte, freepik.com
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