The home of maple syrup, hockey, brown bears and moose is also the home of a very particular vestimentary tradition. Throughout much of the expansive land, most Canadians will own two very particular items of clothing if nothing else. A denim shirt, and a pair of denim jeans.
But why Canada? And how did this tradition come to be? It all started in at the Hotel Vancouver back in 1951 with a, surprisingly, American singer. In the earlier stages of his career, Hollywood superstar Bing Crosby was on a hunting trip with some pals in Canada. According to Lynn Downey, a Levi Strauss & Co. historian and author of A Short History of Denim, the group attempted to check into a room at the Hotel Vancouver, but upon seeing Cosby’s Levi-clad frame, the clerk refused their entry.
