YAMANE SAN EVISU JAPAN DENIM
Named after Rising Sun's god of prosperity 'Ebisu', popular brand EVISU's begun in '91 crafting killer tailored denim meant to quickly become one of the best detail-obsessed Japanese trends' imaginations (having also spurred the vintage American jeans' hype revival with 'The Osaka 5'!)... Started with a production of only fourteen pair of jeans a day, nowadays EVISU - despite its phenomenal success - is an icon to the jeanswear's chronicles, also because still to this day the brand sticks to its elevated standards and values. Everybody knows the seagull logo (plus its variations) hand-painted onto EVISU's eclectic hi-quality denim; actually during our raid at CC Show we had the honour and pleasure to have a quick chat with EVISU's 'big boss', Hidehiko Yamane, who gave us some news about the label... Here you are:
YAMANE SAN, HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE DENIM UNIVERSE?
Jeans have always been my passion since I was a child, the '70s period, the same when the vast majority of vintage in Japan used to come from the United States!
WHERE DOES EVISU BRAND'S NAME COME FROM? AND REGARDING THE SEAGULL LOGO?
It directly links with the divinity of 'Ebisu' (god of fishermen and luck), a very heart-felt belief in the Osaka area; the legend wants that if you hang on the wall a picture of this god your business will grow. The inspiration comes as well from a famous American denim brand, with a strong assonance with the Japanese label... also for the branding the reference to the classic finishings of USA's jeans companies is clear, but the interpretation I like to tell is the similarity to a seagull - or the letter E overturned.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR SECOND CLOTHING LINE, YAMANE?
Actually it's not a second line, but a brand on its own, almost born in parallel with the initial denim label; as you can see the concept for the inspiration is sartorial - different from the most linked to American clothing and vintage part - yet a style I love to wear personally anyway. Fabrics are very polished, like natural indigo-dye hand-worked wools, refined jacquards or seven-fold silk ties (typical Italian technique), but also premium collaborations with companies such as Harris Tweed.
DO EVISU'S FABRICS HAVE SOME PARTICULARS MAKING THEM DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER BRANDS' ONES?
We always attempt to invest much in innovation, trying to be the first ones compared with others in utilising new materials and production techniques... like a special kind of jacquard - constructed with a shorter weft, so after the first wash it retracts on just one side giving it a really unique blurry effect!
AND WHAT ARE EVISU AND HIDEHIKO YAMANE'S FUTURE PLANS?
I'll leave EVISU with my son... I'll quit so I can go fishing and playing golf, my two greatest passions!
