People have been floored after finally realising what the tiny, additional pocket on a pair of jeans was actually designed for – and the answer dates back to the 1890s
People have only just learned the original reason behind the small, extra pocket inside a pair of jeans. Jeans are a wardrobe staple for countless people, and can be styled up for more formal occasions, and are often the top choice for laidback, comfort dressing.
Made from denim, jeans have a long-standing history. Denim was the traditional fabric used in workwear, with the first pair of jeans – similar to those we know and love today – created by an American tailor named Jacob Davis and dry goods wholesaler Levi Strauss, who supplied him with the material to make them.
The pair joined forces and patented the first riveted denim work trousers on 20 May 1873. This led to the creation of the classic jeans so beloved to this day, as before this, there were no rivets in denim workwear or trousers. Today, jeans are available in a range of cuts, colours and styles, from mum jeans, high-waisted, bootcut and flared, to wide-leg, skinny, distressed and more.
The Levi’s website states: “We should note that they were called ‘waist overalls’ or ‘overalls’ until 1960, when baby boomers adopted the name ‘jeans’.”
Often, the front pocket of a pair of jeans features an additional, much smaller pocket at the hip. It’s typically a visible detail included in many styles of jeans.
On Reddit, one user expressed curiosity about the purpose of this small pocket. Sharing an image, they asked: “What’s the smaller pockets within pockets of jeans for? Does anyone know the use of [the] smaller pocket [and what it] is designed for?”
In the comments section, Reddit users were eager to share their views, with some posting humorous remarks while others revealed their own personal uses for the diminutive pocket.
One said: “I use it and have always used it for my lighter.”
Another suggested: “Hold your lucky coin.”
A third said: “Steve Jobs said they were for the iPod Nano when it launched in 2005. I distinctly remember him pulling one out of his mini pocket in the reveal video. First and only time I ever bought an Apple product new.”
A fourth agreed: “I used to use it for my iPod Nano. Good times… good times.”
However, someone else revealed the actual origin of the pocket, explaining it was originally designed to store a pocket watch. They simply said: “It was originally for pocket watches.”
Another responded: “I thought it was called the coin pocket, but watch makes more sense!”
Another said: “Why did it take so long for someone to go: ‘what if pocket watch… but bracelet!’”
One replied: “It didn’t take that long, there are medieval necklace, wrist and even ring watches. In the Victorian era, wrist watches were seen as feminine as they were delicate, and pocket watches were seen as reliable and sturdy.
“It took the combination of the Boer and World War One to make wrist watches masculine as jumping on the deck and crawling through the muck tended to break pocket watches.”
Per Britannica: “The small pocket as we know it today was not an element of the blue jeans mass-produced by Levi Strauss and Co until the 1890s, when the target buyers for the work trousers were carpenters, railroad workers, farmers, and miners.”
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