Perhaps nothing gives a brand name more reputation than an association with a big-name celebrity, so it becomes a news item of note when celebrities endorse or appear in any brand name product. Japan’s Edwin clothing company has scored some of the most coveted celebrity coverage of any denim manufacturer, particularly with its endorsement by one of Hollywood’s most often nominated “beautiful men,” Brad Pitt, who serves as an Edwin spokesman in Japan. In ads not widely seen elsewhere, Pitt smolders at the camera with his signature sexiness, sporting a pair of pre-washed Edwin’s with the logo stamped jauntily across his hip.
The Edwin name appears repeatedly in blogs by fashionistas and fashion providers alike, such as in the post by the U.K.’s own Red Square fashion announcing the arrival of the first Edwin items for the 2012 season. The post celebrates the company’s nostalgic return to iconic graphics of motorbikes and airmen in the new season’s line, as well as new offerings in the denim lines themselves.
When GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) magazine wanted a glossary written for denim and jeans-related terms, nothing else would do but to have the touted “jean-ious” team at Edwin construct the comprehensive and detailed definitions of jeans’ related verbiage, including relatively obscure terms that describe specific types of thread and patterns of wear. No one could write such a lovingly descriptive catalogue of denim terminology without being a recognized expert in the industry.
Recounting of Edwin clothing’s admittedly intriguing history has been featured in such fashion forward publications as Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village and TokyoFashion.com, and of course there’s the proprietary Edwin Journal online, sporting photos and updates of Edwin-wearing celebrity sightings, product updates, Edwin stores around the globe, and progress on the newly opening superstore in London. Proprietary Edwin stores tend to have a gritty design to them, ranging from the factory-floor feeling of one French location to the wooden-shed construction of the new London store’s decor, reminiscent of a cabin in the American Old West, where denim arguably had its start.
Moving from past history to the up and coming, Edwin aficionados are looking forward not only to the grand opening of London’s Edwin store, but to the launch of a new line, created in collaboration with the Yohji Yamamoto fashion brand, and labelled as “Yohji JEANS.” To keep up on Edwin clothing news, a fan can follow by Facebook or Twitter or other social media.
