The other models have never made it all the way but coasted somewhere along the line. They're usually too much in-between modern and classic and while the idea to keep historic details on modern cut jeans might be nice, it never worked out in practice for Edwin.
The jeans were never designed well enough, to me, to fight it out with the more modern brands or never felt authentic enough to make them attractive for the vintage-loving kind of people.
Apparently someone at Edwin felt the same and created the Edwin Vintage collection which premieres this fall.
It consists of 3 men's models, 2 women's models and a skirt. All models come in washed and two of the men's models also come in raw.
The denim in the men's models is 13oz selvedge while the women get 12oz selvedge denim, 100% cotton, no stretch.
The washes are made by hand in Japan and limited to 150 pieces and therefore come with a hefty pricetag, but they're also some of the best washes I've seen.
Edwin has not intended to recreate old vintage pieces down to the last molecule, but instead tried to catch the spirit and general idea of the different times. If you're familiar with the old 501s you'll definitely find some interesting details in these jeans.
The real vintage pants are very valuable but it does no fit our body and are not reall comfortable. Maybe "classic" is a right word. That's why we come up with our Vintage Collection, which is a mix of real vintage taste and modern technology.
-Noritaka Imamura, Edwin Japan
The first men's model is the "Zip Tight Straight". Like late 1960's Levi's it has a zip fly, is fairly slim, has no hidden rivets on the backpockets and the seams that attach the pockets to the jean almost run in parallell.
Unlike 60's Levi's, which tapered below the knee, it's a straight cut.
The second model, "Button Fly Straight", is perhaps most like the old 501 from 1947-1951 that you can also find in Levi's Vintage Clothing collection. The tilted coinpocket, hidden copper rivets on the backpockets and the shape of them, and the top button in the fly is why. However, the donut-shaped buttons in the fly is definitely a detail taken from the wartime 501(1939-1945).
Needless to say, the rise is lower than that on either of the idols and the cut is more modern throughout.
These are the washed Button Fly Straight. Kind of speak for themselves.
So do these, but I feel compelled to talk about them anyway. The Original Straight is a mix of details from the 1800's to the 1930s. They remind me a lot of the "Nevada jeans", the oldest Levi's ever found was found in a Nevada mine, dating back to 1880-1885. I think this wash looks better than the LVC Nevada reproduction, actually.
The original Nevada jean:
So, while trying not to sound like a salesman, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this collection from Edwin. The quality seems good and the price is very good for the raw jeans, 1200 SEK. Definitely some of the best jeans in this price range.
What do you think about the Edwin Vintage Collection? You're very welcome to discuss it at ringxring.
