You’ve probably noticed them without giving them a second thought. Those tiny metal studs near the front pockets of your jeans are easy to overlook, but they’ve been a fixture of the garment for more than a century. So why are they there? Sure, they add to denim’s rugged, familiar charm — but they also tell the story of how jeans became some of the most useful pants in history. The First Rivets By the late 19th century, what we now call jeans — then more commonly known as waist o...
