History
Established in Japan 1947
Mr Tsunemi had a passion for denim, which inspired him to import
them directly from the United States as no denim was manufactured in
Japan at that time.
Used, worn-out and dirty denim which had to be laundered and mended by hand in order to sell on to his customers.
In 1951 domestically manufactured denim was available for the first
time in Japan. This product was expensive and of inferior quality
compared to its American counterparts.
Mr Tsumeni was driven to create his own denims, with greater sophistication in fits, washes and quality.
From this point on in Edwin denim history, quality, craftsmanship,
innovation and integrity have been paramount to the ethos and aesthetic
for the brand.
In 1961 Mr. Tsunemi crafted the first pair of Edwin denim jeans.
Utilising the letters D, E, N, I & M (reversing the M creating a W) he created the brand name ‘Edwin’.
By 1963 Edwin had produced the world’s heaviest ringspun denim jean
(16oz), featuring the famous three-colour rainbow selvedge, which is
still being used today.
In the 1970’s Edwin were the first company in the world to develop
‘old wash’ designed to replicate denim which have been worn from its
rigid, unwashed state traditionally designed for workwear due to its
durability.
In the 1980’s Edwin invented ‘stone washing’ which revolutionised
the entire denim industry and was a pivotal moment in the evolution of
denim manufacturing, thus influencing, every denim company in existence
today.
In the 1990’s Edwin created the ‘new vintage’ denim concept, which
encompasses the subtle beauty of hand replicating vintage washes from
archive references pre-dating 1947.
Edwin is an authentic denim brand priding itself on innovation and
craftsmanship, utilising exclusive fabrics and fabrication, unique
technology, hand wash processes, and continual progression in design
and fit.
