From work overalls for workers to ultra-fashion… The unexpected success of Carhartt WIP

For several years, the brand with the yellow logo has been popping up almost everywhere. From cargo pants to denim jackets to hooded hoodies, it's hard to miss the Carhartt WIP phenomenon. Even the stars are doing it. The singer Kanye West in the streets of Los Angeles, the Spanish influencer Marc Forne at Paris Fashion Week or even the presenter Yann Barthès… at the National Assembly committee. But behind the apparent democratization of the stylized C, hides a company discreet about its strategy.

Before being a brand distributed in skate shops, department stores, hip-hop stalls or boutiques streetwear premium, Carhartt is a brand specializing in the manufacture of professional clothing intended for railway workers in the United States. In 1989, Edwin Faeh, a Swiss in constant search of inspiration, discovered these clothes on flea markets in France and began importing them to the European market. The brand was quickly adopted by subcultures underground. But the items being too heavy and the cuts too large, Faeh came up with the idea of ​​requesting licenses from the Carhartt brand, which granted it. In 1994, the Carhartt WIP (Work In Progress) project was born with its own collections inspired by original workwear, but adapted to the needs of its audience. Ambition? Conquer this dormant market.

For this, the brand makes eco-responsibility its DNA in order to stand out from its competitors. Cotton, in particular. The Web “Duck” is used to make the pieces in a durable fabric and create a natural effect. Over time, this simple weave, whose threads intertwine to form a simple checkerboard pattern, will build the identity of Carhartt WIP. By positioning itself in this way, the brand manages to position itself against the tide of fast fashion with production based in Tunisia.

A hundred stores around the world

35 years after its debut, Carhartt WIP now has more than a hundred stores across Europe, Asia and the United States. In France, the brand relies on a network of ten stores in Paris, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Annecy and Toulouse. The sellers display the collections there to promote the brand and often speak to customers on familiar terms – a relaxed atmosphere obliges. In general, the brand's points of sale streetwear premium are designed by the Milanese architect Andrea Caputo around the themes of construction and industry. The materials – maple, concrete and industrial glass – seek to recreate a raw metropolitan ambiance while leaving pride of place for art installations and category “gadgets” with derivative products such as lighters, key rings, water bottles, mugs. At the same time, Carhartt WIP is also distributed in department stores such as Printemps or Galeries Lafayette and through specialized sellers.

A deployment of stores exacerbated by Carhartt WIP's logic of opening up to the general public market. In 2000, a women's branch of the brand was created. Still with this goal, collaborations with artists and brands are an opportunity to increase brand awareness, design different designs and bring in a new community. Recently, Carhartt WIP joined forces with Marni and Sacai, opening up the world of haute couture. It collaborates over the long term with Converse and Vans to strengthen its attachment to the community of skateboarding. She recently formed a partnership with the iconic Berlin techno club Tresor, a sign that music has always been at the heart of her DNA.

A strategy of love brand

And if the brand has flourished so much recently in the streets, it is undoubtedly for its timeless and committed aspect. Carhartt customers now have heterogeneous profiles. “Fans of the brand since the 90s have passed on the culture to their children and even their grandchildren”, we are told at headquarters. His audience has grown over the years thanks to his involvement in different cultural spheres, such as art, design, skateboarding and music. Proof of this is that in 2008, she launched her own radio station to highlight artists and labels.

A large-scale distribution which, according to retail expert Thomas Graffagnino, is similar to that of Nike in the 1990s: “Carhartt WIP has succeeded in developing a love-brand strategy. For a long time, she only activated a single community of people who took care of making her shine in her place.. Today, this “community effect is over” according to him. “The brand alone is now enough to make people want to buy its products. It has acquired a timeless character”. However, the democratization of the brand has a cost. The Carhartt WIP range, trendy and intended for the city rather than work, costs more than the parent brand. The price to pay for combining workwear And streetwear.