Edwin, Japan's largest jeans manufacturer, is introducing fade-resistant blue denim for its Edwin and Lee brands in its 2014-2015 Autumn/Winter men's collection. Lee has named it Stay Blue, while Edwin has named it Keep Blue. Because it's dyed with a different dye than regular indigo, it's more fade-resistant than regular denim. Lee offers two one-wash colors—dark blue and a slightly lighter navy—as well as black. Edwin offers three one-wash colors—dark blue, extra dark blue, and a slightly lighter navy. Edwin offers these in three silhouettes: skinny, tapered, and slim straight. The product was created in response to numerous requests from select shops in urban areas and SPA brands with dual-brand designs for fade-resistant blue denim. A company sales representative explained, "Denim sales are on the mend, but it seems to be viewed as just another color for colored pants." They also noted that there's little demand for fade-resistant denim from traditional jeans chains.

Excellent cost performance is Edwin's hallmark, with the Stay Blue priced at ¥11,000 and the Keep Blue priced at ¥9,500.

Edwin will also be introducing cold-weather items to its "Jersies" jersey denim series, which continues to perform well in its women's line. These items feature fleece bonded to the underside of regular fabric.

Lee's women's line, which sells well to select shops, is generally trending higher in the rise. In addition to traditional skinny pants and tight skirts, the brand will introduce "high skinny" high-waisted skinny pants with a higher rise and tight skirts. This is a silhouette that was popular from the height of the bubble economy through the mid-1990s, and will be making a comeback for the first time in about 20 years. If high-waisted pants become more accepted, it is expected to generate large-scale replacement demand, so expectations are high.