Destination Denim

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My life with denim: Citizens of Humanity's Jerome Dahan

Epitomising Californian cool, Citizens of Humanity denim is all about great vintage washes and laid-back styling. We steal five minutes with the brand's founder to talk denim tips and his first ever pair.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PAIR OF JEANS? They were a Canadian Brand called “Love Jeans”. It was the late 70’s, and they were flares with an embroidery on the back pocket of a vinyl record.

IF I WAS TO OWN JUST ONE PAIR OF JEANS, WHAT SHOULD IT BE?  Our “Racer” low-rise, skinny jean in Slash - the perfect vintage, distressed jean for Fall.

HOW MANY JEANS DO YOU OWN? How much time do you have?

FAVOURITE DENIM MOMENT? The famous picture of Jackie Onassis taken by Ron Gallella walking across the street in jeans.

WHAT MAKES DENIM SO ENDURING?  It’s a timeless, ever-changing fabric. Denim has its place in defining great historical moments yet allows you to look to the future for fashion trends and re-innovation.

TO WASH OR NOT TO WASH?  There are always two schools of thought when it comes to washing denim. In terms of raw denim, it should worn in over time and not washed. In fact, you can put raw denim in the freezer to kill bacteria and refresh the jeans. For all other denim, I recommend washing after a few wears and laying out to dry.

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Denim Stars

They are some of the world’s most stylish women and they're all true denim devotees. From Kate in her favourite J Brand skinnies to the Queen of Jeans, Jessica Alba, see who’s wearing their true blues, statement-making colours and perfect prints here.

Miranda Kerr teams her J Brand Bette flares with an Equipment blouse for girl-about-town chic while Kate keeps it casual in skinny J Brands in colour-popping red

A must-have on the celeb circuit, Rachel Bilson cements here style status in Current/Elliott’s Stiletto star jeans while Poppy Delevigne goes painterly in Paige’s Verdugo skinnies.

Jessica Alba makes a statement in her bell bottomed J Brand jeans while the Duchess of Cambridge does smart casual in her favourite J Brand 811 skinnies. 

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Jeans on cupcakes? Yes, please. Find our what else is happening for Destination Denim at Selfridges.

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The team from Lee Jeans show us just how stretchy their Stretch Jeans are with a denim-clad yoga class. 

Discover all of the Destination Denim events at Selfridges London

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In the early 1960’s, denim was banned by many schools in the U.S as it was seen to signify teen rebellion.

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One bale of cotton can be used to produce 225 pairs of jeans.

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The words jeans originates from the French term 'Genes', referring to the sailors from Genoa who used to wear think cotton trousers.

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The 20th May is celebrated as the birthday of blue jeans, as this was the day they were first patented by Levi Strauss.

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The word denim derives from the French term ‘serge de nimes’. It was shortened to ‘denim’ to suit American tastes.

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The word dungarees comes from the Hindu word dungr and refers to a type of coarse cloth.

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Indigo dye was first used for jeans because of its durability and ability to hide dirt when not washed.

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Our top ten denim moments

From Bananarama's customised jeans to James Dean's rebellious attitude, we look back at the style icons and screen stars who have taken denim on a journey from humble workwear to fashion must-have in our top ten denim moments. Who do you think wore it best? 

In 1955, James Dean spent the majority of Rebel Without A Cause in a pair of Lee 101 Riders, imbuing denim jeans with an imitable sense of cool. Where James Dean went, the youth followed and the nonchalant denim-clad American teenager was born. 

You can thank Marilyn Monroe for making denim sexy for women. She was the pioneer of relaxed boyfriend style jeans in the early 1960s, lending them her incomparable feminine charm.

Elvis Presley proved it’s not just his shoes that were blue when he rocked this all denim outfit in his 1962 film Follow That Dream. There’s an advert for double denim if ever we saw one.

America’s Golden Girl, Farrah Fawcett, sent sales of flares rocketing when she was spotted in these bell bottoms in 1976 – the year she made her debut as one of Charlie’s Angels.

When Danny Zuko and the rest of the T-Birds strutted their stuff in their jeans they sparked a resurgence in 50s style that sent everyone reaching for the turn ups. 

When Catherine Bach fist stepped out in her denim cut-offs, she created a scene-stealing shorts moment that wasn’t rivalled until Kylie’s gold hotpants twenty-years later. Known forever more as Daisy Dukes, they turned a southern belle into a sex symbol. 

At the tender age of 15, Brooke Shields became the poster girl for designer denim as the face of Calvin Klein jeans – simultaneously making her one of the world’s most recognisable faces and sparking the debate about underage models. 

In 1996 Alexander McQueen proved his status as the L'enfant terrible of London Fashion Week when he sent his controversial Bumsters down the catwalk. The low-slung style was a defining moment for the young British designer and – although few dared go quite as low – sparked a decade of builder’s bums and muffin tops. 

When Kate Moss stepped out in her now-signature skinny jeans, she prompted a generation of women to step away from the bootcuts. Her fashion formula of skinny jeans, pumps and a blazer proved to be a winner for the high street too, which saw sales of skinnies soar. 

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Self Style: Denim special

We’re all set to celebrate Destination Denim in our four fabulous stores and by the looks of things, so are you. We’ll be on the lookout for stylish denim-clad shoppers to add to our self style wall of fame throughout the campaign, so don’t forget to throw on your best jeans and pay us a visit.

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Indigo dye was first used for jeans because of its durability and ability to hide dirt when not washed

7 For All Mankind's Gwenevere jeans are the perfect shade of Indigo. 

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Wash: Denim is washed during production to make it softer and create various effects such as whiskering, abrasions or distressing.

You can find your perfect finish by shopping men's and women's denim online now. 

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Every year 2.5 billion yards of denim are produced.

Want to see how it's put to use? Shop men's and women's denim at Selfridges. 

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Denim purists won't let their jeans go anywhere near a washing machine for the first six months – denim will gradually mould itself to the shape of your body. Put your jeans in the freezer to kill off any odours.