history of clothes

A HISTORY OF CLOTHES
LEVI'S 501
Levi Strauss, a 24-year-old German immigrant, left New
York for San Francisco with a small supply of textile with
the intention of opening a branch of his brother's New
York business. Shortly after his arrival, a Gold Rush
prospector wanted to know what Mr. Strauss was selling.
When Strauss told him he had rough canvas to use for
tents and wagon covers, the prospector said, «You should
have brought pants!», saying he couldn't find a pair of
pants strong enough to last.
In 1873, Levi Strauss associated with Jacob David who
used to put rivets in its garments for strength. On May
20, 1873, they received U.S. Patent No.139,121. This date is now considered the
official birthday of «blue jeans».
CONVERSE
M. Converse opened the Converse Rubber
Shoe Company in Massachusetts in 1908. The
company's main turning point came in 1917
when the Converse All-Star basketball shoe
was introduced. Then in 1921, a basketball
player named «Chuck» Taylor worked as a
salesman and ambassador, promoting the
shoes around the United States, and in 1923
his signature was added to the All Star patch.
He tirelessly continued this work until shortly
before his death in 1969. For decades the
Chuck Taylor All Star basketball shoe only
came in black, with a white variant released in
1947. Under pressure from basketball teams
Converse decided in 1966 to manufacture other colors.
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A HISTORY OF CLOTHES
WARM UP
Say as much as you can about Levi's.
Say as much as you can about Converse.
EXERCISE 1
Match the following dates or figures with the corresponding events.
First document
Birth of jeans
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Strauss's age
1873
Association with J.David
May 20, 1873
Second document
1908
Death of Taylor
1917
Creation of the company
1923
Chuck gives his name to the shoes
1969
Creation of the basketball shoes
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EXERCISE 2
First document
Find the English equivalents of :
➢ des pantalons :
➢ des vêtements :
➢ la Ruée vers l'or :
➢ peu de temps après :
➢ de la toile brute :
➢ une petite quantité de :
Second document
Find the French equivalents of :
➢ a salesman :
➢ under pressure of :
➢ to manufacture :
➢ the turning point :
➢ added to :
➢ released in 1947 :
EXERCISE 3
Answer the following questions in French by making sentences.
First document
1) Quelle était la première utilisation de la toile?
2) Pourquoi le chercheur d'or avait-il besoin de pantalons?
3) Pourquoi l'associé de Strauss mettait-il des rivets sur ses vêtements?
4) De quelle origine était Strauss?
5) A quoi correspond le numéro 139,121?
Second document
1) Quelle était la couleur de base des Converse?
2) Pourquoi l'entreprise a-t-elle produit des Converse de couleur?
3) Dans quel état des USA M. Converse a-t-il créé son entreprise?
4) A l'origine, quel était le métier de Chuck Taylor?
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