The Carhartt WIP Archives

Back in the eighties, when the Western world was deluged by a wave of blue denim, Carhartt’s brown duck work coats entered the streets as an antidote. Detached from their original raison d’être of attiring hard-working men in mines and on railroad tracks, they arrived in our cities as some sort of new anti-denim. Soon after, and largely due to the efforts of Carhartt’s European distributor Work in Progress, the American workwear classic evolved into the international streetwear icon by which we know it today.

WORK IN PROGRESS: THE CARHARTT WIP ARCHIVES is the first comprehensive publication exploring that remarkable evolution. Edited by Michel Lebugle and Anna Sinofzik, with texts by Gary Warnett, Mark Kessler and Anna Sinofzik, it features more than 350 images including heaps of hitherto unpublished photographs, artworks, as well as ephemera drawn from the company’s own archives and different private collections, providing an unparalleled look into the brand’s bustling universe.

Featuring the extensive story of the brand from its humble beginning to their most popular garments like the Detroit Jacket, Watch Hat, Siberian Jacket, and Cargo Pants, WORK IN PROGRESS is a celebratory, transatlantic stroll through the company’s rich and colorful history. This collection will appeal to both fashion enthusiasts and devotees of American cool.