The artistic, color-savvy world of MARNI meets Carhartt WIP for the first time, offering an original point of view on contemporary daywear through a wardrobe rooted in utilitarian silhouettes. Consisting of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories, the collection reinterprets Carhartt WIP’s signatures with a fresh gaze, lending workwear-inspired archetypes a new guise through MARNI’s unique flair for colors, prints and shapes.
MARNI x Carhartt WIP introduces new material combinations, all-over prints and generous volumes, combining the substantiality of authentic utility wear with the light-hearted approach of MARNI. A two-tone clover print is applied to canvas Carhartt WIP archetypes such as the Active Jacket, as well as a short-sleeve work shirt, and a work pant offered in a loose silhouette. Bucket hats, chunky slip-on sneakers, and a robust canvas tote bag are also emblazoned with the same print. Meanwhile, jersey tops hybridize the shape of a tee with the iconic silhouette of a basketball tank top, and feature a bold iteration of Carhartt WIP’s ‘C’ Logo.
In addition, shearlings and soft calfskins add a tactile richness to typically rugged styles like the four-pocket Michigan Coat and Vest, while heart shaped gold-tone buttons offer an additional element of detail, referencing buttons that could be found on Carhartt products as far back as 1889. An interplay of corduroy and canvas appears on items including a car coat and overshirt, further elevated by MARNI’s signature flair for color, while pockets bear a co-branded motif that utilizes a unique single thread embroidery technique. Together, these styles deftly combine a sense of functional pragmatism with MARNI’s avant-garde codes.
The accompanying campaign features the seminal funk artist Bootsy Collins, whose signature driving basslines helped propel the genre forward. He is joined by his wife Patti, his grandson Vincent and musician Babyxsosa in their Cincinnati home, in a series of images shot by Lengua, with styling by Haley Wollens. Coinciding with the release of the collection, Carhartt WIP have compiled a selection of songs written by and featuring Bootsy Collins. The playlist includes tracks from Collins himself, James Brown, Kali Uchis, and of course, Parliament-Funkadelic.
The two brands will mark the collaboration with an event at Milan Fashion Week on January 14th at the MARNI Montenapoleone flagship.
MARNI x Carhartt WIP will release on January 14th and will be available at MARNI.com, in MARNI boutiques and selected multi-brand stores across the globe, as well as selected Carhartt WIP flagships (New York, Paris Le Marais, Florence, London Soho, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin Mitte, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Sydney). The collaboration will be available in Japan from January 25th.
