It’s not big enough to fit your phone, EFTPOS card or car keys, and it’s only just wide enough for coins or a couple of pieces of chewing gum. So what’s the seemingly useless little pocket at the front of your jeans for?
According to denim innovators Levi Strauss, the pocket first made an appearance in 1902 as a watch pocket.
A user of online forum Quora, Nitin Achdev responded to the question ‘Why do our jeans have a tiny pocket just above the front pocket? Was it something useful that was added or it is just a fashion thing?’ on a thread, saying:
“It’s a watch pocket. Back in the 1800s, cowboys used to wear their watches on chains and kept them in their waistcoats. To keep them from getting broken, Levi’s introduced this small pocket where they could keep their watch.”
So why’s it still there if we aren’t all boot scooting watch-carrying cowboys? Levis maintain that it’s still “loved by denimheads”.
