GIFs Show How Raw Cotton Is Transformed Into Blue Jeans

For some, jeans provide durability and affordability. For others, they offer style and comfort.

American entrepreneur Levi Strauss may have created the first pair of denim trousers in the late 1800s, but they continue to conquer closets all over the world.

But how does this iconic clothing go from a fluffy plant to your favorite retailer? Nudie Jeans, a Swedish company dedicated to providing sustainable denim, produced a video showing the process.

We created GIFS from the steps necessary for your favorite pair of jeans.

First, workers pick the cotton.

Next, farm equipment processes it.

The workable cotton then gets twisted into thread and rolled onto giant spools.

Next, machines weave the "warp" and "weft." The image below shows the "warp," the lengthwise threads in fabric.

This one shows weaving the "weft," the horizontal threads.

After that, the denim gets cuts and seamed by hand.

Factory workers use machines with extreme precision.

Workers also piece together the various parts by hand.

Another worker finishes the major stitching to create the pair's basic outline.

Then, buttons get added.

Pocket-grommets follow.

Machines handle the smallest details, like seams on the bottoms of the pant-legs.

But they get added to the pants by hands.

After workers finish all the sewing, the jeans get "inflated" to stretch them and show their true shape.

Then, the pair gets distressed by hand.

Specialized tools then blend the distress marks. (Note the face mask for safety.)

Pre-washing.

YouTube/NudieJeansCo

Tagging.

And finally, shipping.