The history of the Japanese denim brand, Evisu is something most of us should be familiar with. I got my own refresher course after wearing them this past weekend. Evisu Jeans were a huge staple within music and fashion culture and have paved the way for many other big denim brands.

Denim connoisseur, Hidehiko Yamane set out to create his own line of denim after a long history procuring vintage denim andiIn 1988 he launched the Evisu brand. Evisu derives from ‘Evis’ which is a Buddhist god of prosperity. Yamane definitely prospered. The jeans retailed anywhere from $400- $600 a pop.

Hidehiko really hit a lick in 1994 when the Evisu brand started to bubble outside of Japan, making a name for the brand in Europe. From there, the Italian firm Futurnet began producing and outsourcing the denim under their license.

In the early 2000s Evisu Denim hit the hood – ushering in the age of rare denim and the interest in Japanese production. This was probably the first time dudes were checking out one another’s back pockets. That hand-painted symbol on the back was a statement that you get money. Before Robins, before Trues and before 7 For All Mankind, Evisu’s painted denim were the first easily-identified jean and an emblem of prosperity.

By the way, not many people have been able to fully interpret whats on the back of the jean pocket. It’s a seagull and in the initial production stages of the brand, Hidehiko Yamane hand-painted them onto the back, himself.

Enjoy the photos!