"Arcu" what? ... Arcuate! But what is it?

By creating new ones and having fun customizing them, I thought it was time to lift the veil on this seemingly barbaric term whose creation can take us far in our creativity! 

A clue? We are going to talk about jeans! Let's go!

Definition

You may have already guessed, arcuate is a word that comes from English and has no translation in French. Arcuate means arched, arc... can you guess where the "arcs" of jeans are?

Arcuates are the stitching patterns on the back pockets, the patch pockets of jeans. They are also called "back pocket signatures."  

A bit of history

As I explained to you in the article on denim (which you can find here), we owe a lot to Mr. Levy Strauss in the creation of jeans... So, it is not surprising that we need to talk again about this visionary character!

Indeed, Levi's is considered the first brand to use an arcuate on the back pockets of its very first blue jeans in 1873. Initially decorative, arcuates also serve to reinforce the pockets. The exact origin of the design and the real name of its inventor are unknown because Levi's headquarters (and thus its archives) were destroyed during the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. 

As time went on and jeans brands developed, Levi's registered its trademark in 1943 along with the design of its arcuates, which from then on could no longer be copied by its competitors who initially did not hesitate to appropriate the pattern. 

All brands then developed distinctive signs, signatures... you guessed it, their own arcuate design, the most famous of which are: "Western Wear" W from Wrangler and the Lazy-S from Lee Cooper.  

Did you know?

During the war, American companies were called upon to participate in the war effort... thus thread was a crucial commodity of which not a single centimeter should be wasted on decorative elements... Did this sound the end of arcuates? Of course not! 

Jeans brands have adapted and as the saying goes "beggars can't be choosers"... well, lacking thread, they paint arcuates! Levi's, like other brands, painted their own design on the patch pockets during the war until thread became a non-essential commodity for the war effort. 

The most emblematic of our commercial brands

As I said above, each brand has developed its own arcuate design and some are very recognizable. 
Let's start with the most emblematic ones, those of Levi's jeans. They consist of two rows of stitches shaped like bat wings or seagulls depending on your appreciation. They are actually called seagull arcuate or batwing arcuate.

We find:

 - the W of Wrangler

 - the lazy S of Lee Cooper

But some arcuates are very creative with embroidery, additions (fabric overlays, labels...)...

And today? We are tailors and seamstresses! 

Why not create your own! 

It's true that when you start making jeans, you can also create a definitive arcuate (a kind of signature) or just develop one for the creation of the day. 

I really like to create them based on the mood of the day but also the colors of denim and the topstitching thread used! Once again, only your creativity is the limit because everything is possible in the design of an arcuate and you might as well let loose in this part of the jeans! 

Here are some creations made over the past years. Some were made with the decorative stitches of the machine, others were created by playing with line patterns (interlacing...). 

So ready to make your own? 

If you feel like starting to make your own jeans, why not come to the workshop? We organize courses on this subject 😊. And for those who want to try it alone, we have a beautiful selection of denim colors to create jeans according to your desires! 

Get your needles ready!

Eugénie