Paintings show denim’s history into the late 17th century

In 1873, Levi Strauss teamed up with a tailor to add rivets – the small, circular pieces of metal – to denim pants to make them more durable. This created the industrialized version of blue jeans that the company still sells today. But many people think that history means that Levi’s, the company, invented denim, the textile. An exhibition in Paris is helping to shed light on the real background. The World’s Bianca Hillier reports.