What does Genes mean?

A type of pants worn by Genoese sailors, which is widely considered to be the origin of jeans.

Heddels explains Genes

The French originally referred to the blue fabric used for Genoese sailors’ trousers in the nineteenth century as “bleu de Genes,” or “the blue of Genoa,” a phrase that was eventually simplified to genes. Our modern word jeans is thought to have been derived from this term; however, these trousers were actually made of a cotton fustian instead of denim.

Additional Resources

Here is an illustration of genes worn by men in Genoa: