People only just discovering what metal 'buttons' on jean pockets are for

Jeans are a staple in the wardrobes of many of us. Denim is often touted as a timeless material that never goes out of style, so jeans can be worn for decades without ever making you look out of place. However, despite millions of us having at least one pair of jeans in regular rotation, it turns out that most of us have never closely examined the fabric.

If you look at the pockets of your jeans, you should notice a small metal circle at the very edge of each pocket. On some jeans, this circle will be flat, but on others, it has a raised top, almost as if it were one half of a metal popper fastener.

Most of us will have never even paid attention to these small pieces of metal before, but one person on Reddit has got people scratching their heads after asking one important question: What are they for?

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Sharing a picture of their own pair of jeans, they wrote: "I know, we live in 2025, but still ... what's the purpose of those 'buttons' on jeans?"

It didn't take long for knowledgeable people to flood the comments with answers to the person's question. The "buttons" do have a functional purpose, but it doesn't involve attaching anything to your jeans.

Instead, the metal piece, known as a rivet, is used to reinforce the jeans. Denim was traditionally worn as a work material, with people in construction and other building work still opting to wear jeans for their durability and practicality.

Since the pockets were designed to hold heavy tools, they required reinforcement with small pieces of metal to prevent them from ripping open and spilling their contents on the floor.

One person said: "Those rivets started out as reinforcements because jeans used to be work pants, and the pockets would tear off when miners and gold prospectors would put too many heavy tools/stuff in the pockets.

"That's also why some jeans still have a 'carpenter sling' where you can hang a hammer in."

Another commenter wrote: "They are reinforcements. The edge of the pockets takes the most load and is the first part to tear. These buttons help to prevent that."

A third posted: "They're what made Levi's famous. Workers at the time kept tearing up the available pants; those are rivets like they use on saddles, and they helped keep the pockets from tearing off."

There were also plenty of commenters who joked about what the rivets are used for, including someone who said their only purpose is to "burn your hand" when you take your jeans out of the tumble dryer, as the metal gets incredibly hot.

Someone else hilariously remarked that they were "jean pimples" that are "very common in younger jeans", while another quipped that they keep smartphone screen protector companies in business by giving you something to scratch your phone against when trying to put it in your pocket.

These days, rivets are mostly used as a fashion choice to maintain the timeless appearance of jeans. However, there are still many people who work in jeans who need the rivets for practical use.