Carhartt Work In Progress: Rugged Menswear in Taikoo Li

Concrete and steel, cotton and denim, sweat and blood. These are raw, rugged materials forged together by working-class heroes. Often pushed aside to make way for the clean-cut suits and shined boots that many metropolises breed, durable, yet fashionable, menswear is making a comeback in Beijing with Carhartt Work in Progress (WIP) bringing to Taikoo Li a contemporary, industrial energy.

Natural and artificial light illuminates the space, bounces off concrete floors and reflects off metallic corrugation adorning the rear wall. It’s airy without being empty. Collections are treated like artistic exhibitions, clustered together on low plinths and display cases or spaced out on display racks. You can browse every piece without feeling overwhelmed by the sneaky flashes of abstract patterns or rich colors.

Teaming up with Japanese brand Neighborhood, the Carhartt x Neighborhood fall collection is an experiment in zany fur patterns and rugged weatherproof combinations. If you’re a bold cat, you’ll love the blazoned leopard-print jacket (RMB 3,499), but for those with a more conservative jungle view, a T-shirt (RMB 899) will suffice. Another brand collaboration, this time with Rocky Mountain, showcases a range of jackets (RMB 4,999) that lead a more neutral, but no less stylish, collection.

A light cotton T-shirt printed with a black dragon and stamped with ‘Beijing’ (RMB 399) is a limited edition and only available in-store, so be quick. Plans to expand the Carhartt WIP brand into Shanghai are in the works, with additional China locations being considered.

Carhartt Work In Progress
Daily 10am-10pm. B8-22 / Bldg 8 Taikoo Li South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (no phone number)
朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区8号楼
500m west of Tuanjiehu station (Line 10)
 

Photos: Sui