Edwin: same genes, different denim

Established over 60 years ago, Edwin’s denim is spun with the same rigid identity as Mr Tsunemi devised it in 1940s’ Japan. Having been conceived to ensure the tedium of durability, usually a priority absent from fashion, Edwin is still remarkable for its product quality.

The defining feature of the company, whereby the heaviest ringspun denim was created in 1963 in order to revolutionise trouser manufacture, is still proudly used today, the strands of denim providing the essence – the veins and arteries – through which this company’s steadfast motivation flows. Weighing-in at 16oz, their three-colour selvedge not only ensures the tidiness of an un-frayed finish, but also reinforces the structure of the trouser leg; the weight forces the denim to fall with robust gravitas, rather than limply flowing to the floor to comfortably settle at one’s ankle.

Where quality certified the reliability of the brand, Edwin’s innovation has guaranteed their success throughout the past 60 years. From the development of old-wash denim in the 1970s to disguise the pristine aesthetic of new jeans, to their diligent study of archive pieces to initiate our love of vintage denim, Edwin has continued to develop their brand. Most laudable was their 1980s’ invention of stonewashed denim; while a contentious style that split sartorial opinion, both at its conception and during its recent resurgence, Edwin’s influence on fashion far surpasses its notoriety. Accordingly, its revolutionary revelations are to be praised with the reverence and gratitude apt for a company that has affected the sartorial choice of every discerning teenager of the past 60 years.

Along with their reasonably priced jeans, Edwin sells several stock pieces for both men and women, unremarkable staples of quotidian dressing: flannel shirts, sweaters and printed-tees. This reservation, however, bolsters the brand spirit further – Edwin is not a prêt-a-porter, seasonal label, but instead cares wholly for its firstborn, the Jean.

Ryan Brown

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