Your Vintage Carhartt Shirts Have Got Nothing on These One-Offs
Brand: MIYAGIHIDETAKA x Carhartt WIP
Buy: 2G Tokyo and Carhartt WIP's Tokyo store
Editor's Notes: We're fans of MIYAGIHIDETAKA's work here at Highsnobiety. Even with colorful bandana patchwork basically peaking with Kapital's international glow-up, there's something so inherently appealing about the extreme business of raw-edged paisley layering pieces.
This collection puts MIYAGIHIDETAKA's signature bandana motif front and center. Vintage paisley-printed textiles are mixed up and stitched together in the shape of Carhartt's boxy Master Shirts and pocket tees.
These are statement pieces, no doubt about it, but seeing the Carhartt patch on the chest of each is pleasantly odd, the same kind of pleasantly weird juxtaposition as Carhartt's Junya Watanabe collaborations.
Putting that patch in a more fashion-forward context always feels a little off, in a good way. These patchwork pieces are also nicely distinct from the sea of vintage flannel shirts and chore coats — nothing wrong with a well-worn Carhartt jacket, but it's nice to recontextualize those workwear shapes.
It goes without saying, the humble bandana has quite a storied history, with loads of cultural connotations baked into each patterned square. That context is pretty much non-existent in Japan, though, aside from some wistful Americana nostalgia.
This MIYAGIHIDETAKA x Carhartt WIP joint venture is taking the bandana at face value, stripping it of history to create some, admittedly, pretty fun clothes. There are some red and blue versions — still pretty sensitive in California — alongside an ample supply of monochrome and multicolor shirts all launching exclusively in via Carhartt WIP's Tokyo flagship and 2G Parco.
For those not in the know, 2G is a boutique based in the new Shibuya Parco mall overseen by UNITED ARROWS & SONS director Poggy.
Given that it's overseen by the especially well-connected Poggy, 2G has appropriately hosted plenty of collaborative releases, including lots of Hajime Sorayama exclusives and Carhartt team-ups.