Edwin Jeans – Returning To Their Roots?

Jean producers Edwin have been a long-standing player in the Japanese denim market for over three decades. In recent years, they’ve become increasingly popular in Europe as well; popular enough to have Brad Pitt as the official face of Edwin‘s advertising campaigns.

Edwin was one of the original mass producers of jeans in Japan, once the denim boom took hold. Over the last 20 years, their product lines have mostly focused on pre-distressed jeans with a wild assortment of innovations (think zippered thigh pockets and the occasional rainbow selvedge…), but it appears that the label is starting to return to its roots.

Edwin Rainbow Selvedge

I Wasn’t Kidding About Rainbow Selvedge…

It seems Edwin is reverting to their unprocessed ways, in keeping with the growing trend (in North America) of producing raw, selvedge denim. Recently, they have been producing more slim-cut jeans in untreated, lightweight selvedge denim, most notably their SEN Selvedge line; which is being sold in select stores across North America with ambition to reclaim their title as one of Japan’s original premium jean-makers.

Edwin SEN Selvedge Jeans Patch

Edwin’s SEN Selvedge Jeans

Edwin SEN Selvedge Jean Fit Pic

Edwin’s SEN Selvedge Jeans

As part of this initiative, Edwin Europe recently released a short film that shows some lovely clips of the neighbourhood around their main factory on the coast, just outside of Tokyo, intermingled with snippets of jean production inside said factory.

The write-up that accompanies the video discusses Edwin Japan’s artisanal methods, the training of their “denim technicians”, and makes mention of their custom machinery. All said, it’s a pretty good way to kill 3-and-a-half minutes.

Edwin Jeans Brad Pitt Advertisement

Edwin Japan Short Film Clip

Edwin Japan denim technician at work

Stay Raw!

– Sean
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