Have you ever wondered why there is a small pocket riveted or sewn above the normal pocket on the right-hand side of your jeans? Is it so you have a cool place to rest your thumb when leaning on a wall? Is it a safe place to keep a lucky charm or your quarters for a trip to the laundromat?
In 1873, tailor Jacob Davis and businessman Levi Strauss patented the tiny pocket as an element of the Levi’s jeans that would become mainstays of American, and then world, fashion. The pants were first popular with working people, including miners, carpenters, and railroad workers, because they were comfortable and rugged enough to withstand rough conditions without falling apart.
Why do most jeans have a tiny pocket?
The tiny pocket was sewn into the workers’ pants so they could keep their pocket watches, with their delicate glass faces, snug. “It was tight enough to keep a pocket watch perfectly secure, protecting it from getting smashed or spilling out into the dirt. It was quite literally the watch pocket,” Simple Things – Surprising Histories, said in a YouTube video.
The jeans were a hit, but the pocket watch soon fell out of fashion as the wrist watch gained popularity. “Around the turn of the century, clothing makers actually shrank the pocket down from 3 and 1/2 inches to about 3 inches. Over the decades, people found new uses for the leftover space. In the 1950s, rebellious teens used it to hold Zippo lighters. Later, it became the perfect spot to stash loose coins, movie tickets, or a guitar pick,” Simple Things – Surprising Histories” said.
Ultimately, even though there wasn’t a specific modern use for the tiny pocket, it stayed. “Why? Because it’s a legendary signature of classic denim heritage,” Simple Things – Surprising Histories remarked. At first, it may seem a bit superfluous on a pair of pants, but when has fashion ever been 100% practical? In the end, we wear what we wear because of how it makes us feel.
What are some uses for the tiny pocket in jeans?
Recently, a group of Reddit users came together to share how they use their tiny pocket, and there are a lot of uses that most people wouldn’t consider:
“A Zippo lighter fits perfectly in there.”
“In high school, people always had asked me for my lighter because it became known i kept my little mini bic in there.”
“Chapstick in winter works well.”
“Ear Buds.”
“It fits my car key fob perfectly.”
“I put Alka-Seltzer packets in mine.”
“I use it for Guitar picks: the pick pocket.”
In 2005, when Steve Jobs introduced the iPod nano, a super small portable MP3 player, he pulled one out of his tiny pocket. “You ever wonder what this pocket is for?” he asked, pointing to his tiny pocket. “I’ve always wondered that. Well, now we know, because this is the new iPod nano,” Jobs said while pulling a device out of his jeans.
