It's Always Been There

INTRODUCTION
It’s Always Been There
The origins of Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP)
were on the tracks. In 1889, out of Detroit,
Michigan, Carhartt Inc. began making workwear
for the workmen of the pioneering American
railway. Out of this iconic brand evolved
Carhartt WIP streetwear a century later,
inspired by society’s subcultures and with an
ethos of collaboration. Today it is worn and
loved by some of our own creative pioneers.
It’s Always Been There is driven by the
personal affection that Carhartt WIP
inspires in the people that wear it. The
project offers a picture of youth culture
in the UK since the early nineties, when
Carhartt WIP arrived as an instant
classic, and acts as a group portrait of
the creatives and people who associate
themselves with the brand. People often
refer to the Carhartt WIP ‘family’ and, like
a family, the project has its own internal
conversations and tensions. It is born out
of collaboration, much like WIP itself.
Rush Hour was shot at peak time on the
Waterloo and City line of the London
Underground. The Tube is one of the main
connective channels through the city,
linking people and places. This dynamic
system allows for ideas to flourish and
is open to all, with styles in their
many variants, movements and types of
self-expression all rubbing up against
each other. Artist Benjy Nugent brought
his inimitable style to the final images.
In Deep Cuts we caught up with
Pabloescobarber of Cuts & Bruises barbershop
and DJ Oneman as they reminisced about
growing up in London and their creative
journeys. The two friends reflected on their
own youth and the youth of today amid
the buzz of the barbershop, with their
chat capturing the relationship between
music, fashion and personal style.
One of Carhartt WIP’s most iconic pieces
is its chore coat, versatile and endlessly
inspiring. To mark the 100-year anniversary
of the coat, we tasked young artists
with interpreting this classic design
however they wanted. The result is What
a Chore: Expressions Through Canvas.
The I’m a Work In Progress interviews explore
the processes and identities of artists
and young creatives who hold the Carhartt
WIP brand close. They are real life touch
points, capturing the fact that we all
start somewhere. These people demonstrate
the energy and vitality that come from
incorporating our environment and personal
landscapes in our creative endeavours.
When we put out a call on social media
inviting contributions from Carhartt WIP
fans we were inundated with responses
in the form of self-portraits of young
people wearing their favourite Carhartt WIP
garments, shot in their bedrooms. This space
is crucial: bedrooms are where outfits are
put together, and it’s where personal style
and identity develop in front of the mirror.
In The Young Ones, these shots are combined
with handwritten notes about people’s
associations with Carhartt WIP. In an
age of digital text, the handwriting is
a throwback: timeless and intimate.
For Night Tube, an antithesis to Rush
Hour, the focus is on the pieces the
models are wearing against the backdrop
of trains, free of commuters. With one
model dressed in vintage Carhartt WIP
and one wearing the SS18 collection, the
brand’s timelessness is unmistakable, like
the stylised, iconic design of the Tube.
Longevity is at the core of what Carhartt
WIP do. It is not uncommon for WIP jackets
to stay with people for a life time. Long
before today’s era of Instagram hype,
Carhartt WIP established itself as a staple
of UK streetwear. In Style for Days, the
tension between nostalgia and consistency
drives home the enduring quality of WIP.
As mentioned, Carhartt WIP devotees and
employees often evoke the idea of family
around the brand; something more than just a
style. For Cut from the Same Cloth, we shot
siblings together in their favourite WIP
outfits. It’s a simple metaphor: the clothes
made by the family, worn by the family.
It’s Always Been There is an appreciation
of the past, an embrace of the present and
a glimpse into the future of Carhartt WIP.
- Ryan O’Toole Collett, William Spooner
and Reuben Douglas