The closest brands like Carhartt WIP are Dickies, Stan Ray and Ben Davis for original American workwear, Universal Works, Service Works and Norse Projects in Europe, French jacket makers such as Vetra and Le Laboureur, and skate labels Pop Trading Company, Dime and Polar Skate Co. Carhartt WIP is the Work in Progress line of the American workwear brand Hamilton Carhartt founded in Detroit in 1889. It began in 1989, when Edwin Faeh started importing Carhartt workwear into Europe, and it is now run from Weil am Rhein in Germany, cutting the same work shapes for the street and the skatepark.
So the label sits where three things meet: real workwear, European menswear and skateboarding. Most workwear streetwear brands, and most Carhartt WIP alternatives, are strong on one of those, and a few manage two. Start with the part of Carhartt WIP you actually wear most.
Original American workwear
If you like Carhartt WIP because it still feels like workwear, go back to the American makers that never stopped making it. Expect stiffer fabrics, simpler fits and less fashion polish. For wearing the wider work trousers these brands make, see how to style cargo pants.
- Dickies was founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1922, and its 874 work pant has been worn in skate and streetwear for decades. It is the most direct swap for anyone who mainly buys Carhartt WIP trousers.
- Stan Ray traces back to 1972, when Earl Beard set up a small workwear business in Crockett, Texas, and it is still best known for painter pants and fatigue trousers. The cut is generous and the cloth is heavy, which suits anyone who finds Carhartt WIP a little slim.
- Ben Davis was founded in San Francisco in 1935 and is recognised by its gorilla logo. The work shirts and jackets are plain and hard-wearing, and the logo does the rest.
European workwear-led labels
Carhartt WIP is a European brand in practice, so its nearest neighbours are European labels that took workwear as a starting point.
- Universal Works was founded in Nottingham in 2009 by David Keyte and builds on British workwear: chore jackets, wide trousers and knitwear meant to be worn hard. It is the calmer, more tailored option.
- Service Works is a London label that reworks chef and hospitality uniforms into everyday clothes, and its chef pants have become its signature. Try it if you want work trousers that are lighter than canvas.
- Norse Projects from Copenhagen mixes Scandinavian menswear with workwear and skate roots, and it is the most polished name in this bucket. Our guide to brands like Norse Projects goes further down that road.
French work jackets
Long before the chore coat became a streetwear piece, French workers wore the bleu de travail, the indigo cotton work jacket. A few French makers still produce it, and it layers well over almost anything from Carhartt WIP.
- Vetra was started in 1927 by Edouard Beerens, and its name is a contraction of vêtements de travail, French for work clothes. Its jackets are the classic, plain version of the form.
- Le Laboureur is another traditional French maker of chore jackets and work trousers, with the same honest cotton and simple patch pockets.
- Bleu de Paname is a Paris label that started out by reworking classic French workwear, so it is the more designed take on the same jacket.
- Danton is a French workwear name with roots in the 1930s and a red diamond logo, and its plain work jackets and shirts have a strong following in Japan.
Skate and streetwear with a workwear backbone
Carhartt WIP has been part of skateboarding for a long time, and these labels come from the same place. For a wider list, see our roundup of the best skate streetwear brands.
- Pop Trading Company is an Amsterdam skate brand with a menswear eye, so the workwear shapes come cleaner and the colours more considered.
- Dime is the Montreal skate label that started as a crew making videos, and it mixes work jackets and heavy trousers with a lot of humour.
- Polar Skate Co, founded by Pontus Alv in Malmö, Sweden, is known for wide trousers and denim cut for skating, which suits anyone who wears their Carhartt WIP baggy.
Japanese workwear interpretations
Japanese designers have spent decades taking American workwear apart and rebuilding it. These two are the next step once the plain version feels too plain.
- Kapital was founded in 1985 by Toshikiyo Hirata in Kojima, Okayama, the district known as Japan's denim capital, and his son Kiro Hirata now leads the design. Expect indigo, patchwork and repair details far more expressive than anything Carhartt WIP makes.
- Engineered Garments is designed in New York by Daiki Suzuki and layers American work and military shapes with extra pockets and unusual proportions. It rewards anyone who cares more about the detail than the logo.
Where Phrase Studios fits
Phrase Studios is not a workwear brand, and we will not pretend otherwise. We are an independent studio in Ghent, Belgium, and if you buy Carhartt WIP for durability, the overlap is in the fabric: we build in heavyweight cotton and garment-dyed denim. The Resurge jeans from chapter 02 are cut from 420 GSM cotton denim, flared, mid-rise and garment-dyed, and sit under bottoms. Our hoodies and sweatshirts follow the same idea. We work in numbered chapters that come in small runs and are not restocked, so The Circle is the way to hear about the next one first.
The honest answer is that nothing replaces Carhartt WIP exactly, because few brands sit across workwear, European menswear and skate at once. Go to Dickies or Stan Ray for the original, Universal Works or Norse Projects for the European version, a French chore jacket for the classic layer, and Pop Trading Company or Polar for the skate side. Buy for the fabric and the cut you actually wear, and the label matters less.
FAQ
What is the difference between Carhartt and Carhartt WIP?
Carhartt is the American workwear brand founded in Detroit in 1889 and made mainly for work. Carhartt WIP is the Work in Progress line run from Germany, which adapts the same workwear with different cuts and fabrics for streetwear and skate.
What brands are similar to Carhartt WIP?
Dickies, Stan Ray and Ben Davis are the closest American workwear brands. In Europe, Universal Works, Service Works and Norse Projects take a similar route, and Pop Trading Company, Dime and Polar Skate Co cover the skate side.
Is Dickies a good alternative to Carhartt WIP?
Yes, especially for trousers. Dickies is workwear first, and its 874 work pant has been worn in skate and streetwear for decades. Expect a stiffer fabric and a simpler fit than Carhartt WIP.
