Workwear

Hamilton Carhartt started making overalls for railroad workers in Detroit in 1889, and more than a century later his company's duck canvas jackets sell in streetwear shops around the world. Workwear covers clothes built for labor that ended up as everyday style. In 1989 Edwin Faeh launched Carhartt WIP, short for Work In Progress, to sell the brand in Europe, and it went on to cut slimmer versions of the classics. Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented riveted denim work pants in 1873, and raw selvedge jeans keep that history in the weave. Barbour made oilskins for North Sea sailors and fishermen before its wax jackets became country and city wear. Champion made heavy sweatshirts in Rochester, New York, and its Reverse Weave construction turned the fabric sideways to cut down on shrinkage in length. The stories explain the fabrics, from 12-ounce duck canvas to waxed cotton and loopback fleece, and the details that matter, such as triple-stitched seams, rivets and gussets. Work clothes are built to be repaired, so the guides cover rewaxing a jacket and patching a blown-out knee.