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The blue denim trousers called jeans are extremely common. They are worn by men and women, for different occasions, in most countries. Jeans can be casual or high fashion, cheap or expensive and mean a lot of different things for their users. In this paper we focus on the shaping of jeans as a commodity, and as carriers of symbolic values. We try to map different actors involved in the production of jeans, to show how they influence and try to organize the market for jeans. Following a pair of jeans through the production chain we investigate which organizations pay an interest to jeans at different stages and what aspects of the commodity they are interested in. Influential actors might be classified into four groups: producers, regulators/supervisors, lobbyists and consumers. These actor groups all try to form the jeans market according to their interests. Our analysis shows that they sometimes act in unpredictable ways and also form alliances trying to influence mainly potential buyers and denim producers but also the symbolic value of specific jeans brands. Looking closer at the symbolic values of jeans, male elite consumers and (mostly male) designers and branded retailers, but also environmental labeling and fair trade organizations, seems to have impact on the economic and symbolic value of jeans. Organizing markets The blue denim trousers called jeans are extremely common. They are worn by men and women, for different occasions, in most countries. Jeans can be casual or high fashion, cheap or expensive and mean a lot of different things for their users. In this paper we focus on the shaping of jeans as a commodity, and as carriers of symbolic values. We try to map different actors involved in the production of jeans, to show how they influence and try to organize the market for jeans. Following a pair of jeans through the production chain we investigate which organizations pay an interest to jeans at different stages and what aspects of the commodity they are interested in. Influential actors might be classified into four groups: producers, regulators/supervisors, lobbyists and consumers. These actor groups all try to form the jeans market according to their interests. Our analysis shows that they sometimes act in unpredictable ways and also form alliances trying to influence mainly potential buyers and denim producers but also the symbolic value of specific jeans brands. Looking closer at the symbolic values of jeans, male elite consumers and (mos