Carhartt WIP

Here is the text about Carhartt WIP:

Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP) was founded in 1994 by Edwin Faeh – initially as the exclusive European distributor for the American workwear brand Carhartt, which had already been established in the USA in 1889. As early as the late 80s, Faeh had begun bringing American products to Europe under the name "All American Concept" and recognized the potential of Carhartt in the European street and music scene early on. By the early 90s, the rugged workwear had been discovered by rappers, graffiti writers, and youth alike, turning it into a true cult item far from the construction site.

In 1996, Work In Progress secured the license to manufacture its own Carhartt products outside of the USA; a year later, the first own collection was released and the first Carhartt WIP store opened on London's Neal Street. That same year, the brand launched its own skateboard and BMX team – a clear statement of its close connection to skate culture, which persists to this day.

Characteristic of Carhartt WIP is precisely this balancing act: robust, functional workwear classics like the legendary Chore Coat or the Detroit Jacket are taken out of their original work context and reinterpreted with influences from a wide variety of subcultures. Music traditionally plays a major role in this, for instance through the brand's own label, Combination Records, or its own magazine, "Rugged," which was published for many years.

Today, Carhartt WIP operates over 80 of its own stores worldwide and is firmly established at the intersection of streetwear, workwear, and skateboarding.