Evisu is the Japanese denim brand founded in 1991 by Hidehiko Yamane.
Yamane established the company in Osaka and named it after Ebisu, a Japanese god associated with prosperity and fishing. Evisu became especially well known for heavily crafted jeans and hand-painted seagull motifs on the back pockets.
The brand’s approach contrasted with mass-produced denim. Evisu emphasized vintage-inspired construction, traditional shuttle-loom fabric and distinctive finishing, making its jeans popular among collectors and enthusiasts of Japanese reproduction denim.
Evisu is sometimes confused with Edwin because both are Japanese denim names with long histories. Edwin, however, is a separate brand whose name is commonly explained as a rearrangement of “DENIM,” while Evisu is associated with Ebisu and was founded by Yamane in Osaka.