The term “jacron” refers to a small rectangular- or square-shaped patch found on the backside of a jeans’ waistband. Even if you’re unfamiliar with them, you’ve probably come across jacrons when shopping for jeans. As previously mentioned, nearly all denim brands use them in their jeans.
In the past, jacrons were made exclusively of genuine leather. You might be surprised to learn that it was the only part of jeans made of leather. Jeans, of course, are comprised mostly of denim, which is a form of cotton with warp-faced weaving. Back in their early days, though, jeans featured a jacron made of genuine leather.
You can still find jeans that feature a genuine leather jacron. With that said, most brands today now use an alternative material for their jacrons, such as faux leather or a blended synthetic material. Whether made of faux leather or a blended synthetic material, modern-day jacrons look like those made in the past, but they offer greater protection against moisture damage.
Genuine leather, of course, is more expensive than faux leather as well as various blended synthetic materials. It’s also more vulnerable to damage when exposed to water. You can’t safely wash genuine leather in water — at least not without risking water damage. As water soaks into the genuine leather, it can lead to mildew or other related problems. Therefore, most denim brands have since transitioned away from genuine leather for their jacrons.
For a better understanding of what a jacron looks like, take your jeans and flip them over. Next, inspect the waistline, at which point you should discover a brown patch. This is brown patch, which is usually square or rectangular, is the jacron. It usually features the name of the denim brand as well as other identifiable brand information, such as the year in which the brand was founded. Jacrons can fade, but most of them will remain visible for many years or even decades.
