Carhartt WIP has a story that is very European. In 1989, which was the American company's centennial, Swiss entrepreneur Edwin Faeh began importing Carhartt to Europe through his agency, All American Concept. In 1994 he established Work In Progress to develop its own collections based on original Carhartt workwear, and in 1996 WIP acquired the license to make Carhartt products outside the USA. The first collection followed in 1997. So this is workwear seen through a European streetwear lens, which is a different thing from the American label. The jackets are where that starts. The OG Detroit Jacket is made from 12 oz Dearborn canvas, and the OG Active Jacket marked its 50th anniversary in 2025 with an installation at the Tate's South Tank in London, art directed by Ill-Studio. Around them are the Tan OG Michigan Jacket, the Og Active Hooded Denim Jacket, the Gray Arca Denim Jacket and the Black Belmar Denim Jacket, plus the Beige Prescott Overshirt and the Long Sleeve Bekka Shirt Jacket for lighter days. For other ways to wear this kind of jacket, a barn jacket edit has chore coats and quilted layers.

In 1997 the first Carhartt WIP store opened on Neal Street in London, and the brand also launched skate and BMX teams that year. You can still feel the skate side in the tops. The Slingshot Graphic-Print Cotton T-Shirt, the Heart-Patch Short-Sleeve Cotton-Jersey T-Shirt and the Logo Spray Heart Cotton T-shirt are the graphic ones, and the Short Sleeve Philipa T-Shirt and the Long Sleeve Cardona Pocket T-Shirt are the plainer ones. The Delray and Dion stripe polos add a little color, while the Curtis Crewneck Knit Woven Jumper, the Maine Polo Knit Jumper, the Michigan Sweater and the Signet Cardigan are for colder weeks. The Off-White Casey Hoodie is the easy one. A useful test: put a tee under the Detroit jacket and check that the hem falls just below the jacket's waistband. If you want a soft tee as the base, the story of a soft tee that grew into a fall uniform makes a nice companion.

Workwear trousers are where the label is probably best known. The Brandon Single Knee Pant and the June Double Knee Pant are the work pant idea at its clearest, and the Brandon Wide-Leg Cotton Trousers are the looser take. The Black Noxon Jeans, the Black Everson Jeans and the Jane Wide-Leg Denim Jeans are the denim side, and the Arizona Straight-Leg Faux-Leather Trousers are the surprise. For warmer days, there are the Brandon Short, the Black Brandon Shorts, the White Brandon Denim Shorts and the Hoggard Sweat Short, plus the Cassie Logo-Patch Cotton Jogging Bottoms. What I would skip is pairing the June Double Knee Pant with a cropped puffy jacket, because the shape needs a jacket that ends at the hip. For pants with a pocket-heavy past, a guide to cargo pants has some more context.

The accessories are the quickest way into the brand. The Harlem Cap and the Madison Logo Cap are for a casual day, the Belmar Bucket Hat and the Black Aden Bucket Hat for sunnier ones, and the Mira Ribbed Wool-Blend Beanie, the Women's Ashley Knitted Beanie Hat and the Cane Hat for colder weather. The Hugging Cats Knitted Socks are the playful touch. The brand's yellow and orange square label is its mark, and the collaborators since 2010 include A.P.C., Converse, Fragment Design, Junya Watanabe, Nike, Underground Resistance and Motown, which says something about the scenes it sits in. For a hat with more room to move, the bucket hat that grew up is the one to read.

The last group is short, with the Arin Straight Leg and the Brandon Wide Leg trousers beside the White Bib Straight Overalls, which are the most workwear piece of all. The Logo-Patch Paint-Splatter Denim Tote Bag is the one bag, and I like the way it carries the brand's art side. Carhartt WIP opened a New York store in Soho in 2011, which brought the label back to its American origins. If you want the easiest neutral trouser, khaki pants from a uniform past are a good companion to the wide legs. What the four pieces share is a relaxed cut that works over a tee or a knit, so the choice comes down to how much room you want through the leg. The overalls are the boldest answer, and the straight leg is the quietest.

My Carhartt WIP outfit would be an OG Detroit Jacket over a plain tee, the June Double Knee Pant and a beanie in cooler weather. It is a label that started with a Swiss importer who loved American workwear, and that curiosity is the part I like best. Wear it the way the skate and BMX teams did in 1997, with easy fit and no fuss.

If you want to keep going, Hollister Jeans and FRAME Jeans and Knitwear pair well with this edit.