Established in Tokyo, Japan, in 1947, the EDWIN brand is known for its authenticity, innovation and craftsmanship. Founder Tsunemi Yonehachi was amongst the first merchants to bring vintage American jeans to Japan in the postwar era, setting off a national obsession with denim.

In 1961, inspired by a growing demand, EDWIN (whose company name comes from a creative rearrangement of the letters found in the word "denim") debuted the first made-in-Japan jeans.

By the 1970s, EDWIN had established itself as a pioneer in denim manufacturing, experimenting with wash techniques in the EDWIN Wash House that impacted denim wash processes around the globe. Innovations included ONE WASH, a prewash process to eliminate shrinkage prior to purchase, and OLD WASH, a precursor to stone wash that reproduces faded colors through careful abrasion techniques for a lived-in denim look.