No century-old workwear brand can compete with Carhartt’s cool. This is the brand Tupac used to wear head-to-toe and the maker of crusty hoodies that’ve become genuine menswear grails, and whose rugged jackets are sacred scriptures to artisanal labels that recreate the patina of Carhartt’s finest worn-to-death blue-collar uniforms.

In the midst of all this hype, Carhartt never changed. The American workwear label continues focusing almost exclusively on outfitting workers with humble, hardworking, affordable gear. And its newest “crafted” range is still all of those things even while it’s also a limited-edition drop made entirely in America. Essentially, it’s the closest thing to an American Carhartt fashion collection. 

(European Carhartt customers are used to these kinds of style-oriented garbs, but more on that later.)

While normal Carhartt is cool without trying to be, this feels knowingly stylish. The Carhartt Crafted Series is a line of vintage reproductions created in collaboration with the brand’s in-house archivists that debuted at the end of last year. Its seasonal drops have thus far spanned 15-ounce denim chore coats, a boxy military-flavored sweatshirt made from Carhartt’s heaviest fleece, and loose double-knee duck cotton pants. Typical Carhartt stuff but made from substantive fabrics informed by archival styles, priced slightly higher, and signed off with a new white and blue Carhartt logo patch and buttons engraved with Carhartt’s original heart logo. 

And the newest range of Crafted classics? They’re the most handsome yet. 

The Crafted Series is taking a look at painters, reproducing 135+-year-old painter bibs in 9-ounce cotton drill, a fabric also utilized for its loose chore coat and straight-legged carpenter pants. All the material is in its undyed milky white state, accented by navy stitching that reinforces every panel and red stitching demarcating button holes. You won’t find these kinds of colorful flourishes on Carhartt’s regular no-nonsense workwear, but here they provide a nice touch of contrast against a beige base. 

It's the kind of fashionable set you’d expect from Carhartt WIP, the younger European spinoff label capitalizing on Carhartt’s fashion fame through streetwear collections and high-end collaborations. But no, this is the real-deal American OG leveling up.

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