Edwin Co., Ltd., a major Japanese jeans manufacturer that operates the "EDWIN" and "SOMETHING" brands, has embarked on business restructuring. On November 26th, 17 of its 28 group companies, including 16 with financial debt, filed for business restructuring ADR procedures with the Business Restructuring Professionals Association. Edwin is a core company in the Edwin Group. In the fiscal year ending May 2013, the wholesale division, Edwin, recorded sales of 26.1 billion yen, while the planning and manufacturing division, Edwin Shoji, recorded sales of 30 billion yen in the fiscal year ending January 2012. However, in August 2012, the company's accounting manager suddenly passed away. This resulted in the discovery of a 20 billion yen loss on securities investments, and the company sought a restructuring plan. Business restructuring ADR is a method of resolving disputes through discussion between the parties rather than through court-enforced dispute resolution. Edwin, its main brand, made headlines with its commercial featuring Brad Pitt as the image model for its signature "503" model. The company was even parodied in the manga series "Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku" by Kenji Hamaoka. It also owns the trademark rights to the American denim brands "LEE" and "Wrangler." It has maintained its position as the top-selling jeans brand in Japan since 1983.