The Quiet, Sneaker-Free Nike x Carhartt WIP Comeback
Nike and Carhartt WIP are back together. That should be a big deal but this reunion of two world-famous fashion labels is a very low-key affair.
The two brands are releasing a tight apparel drop for Nike’s weekend-long SURPPLUS festival in Sydney.
The collection has no online release, no second wave. And that exclusivity makes you wonder if a bigger project is on the horizon.
Nike x Carhartt WIP's latest collection is small but purposeful. The pièce de résistance? A Nike x Carhartt WIP OG Active Jacket that looks like it’s already lived a few lives, with burnished canvas, a washed finish, and a rubberized Swoosh stamped across the back.
The collaboration adds another page to the jacket’s long story.
The Active Jacket started as hard-wearing workwear before hip-hop artists and skaters added it into the streetwear uniform of the '90s. When Carhartt’s European arm launched WIP shortly after, it refined that shape into something equally tough but more dialed-in, even runway-friendly.
The collaborative Nike capsule’s hoodie and lime-green tee carry that same faded feel as the jacket. However, it’s also what’s not here that stands out. Namely, there's a distinct lack of sneakers.
Back in 2018, Nike and Carhartt WIP dressed the Air Force 1 and Air Max 95 in duck canvas and camo ripstop, bridging the job site and a couple sportswear classics.
Otherwise, these two have barely linked up in the last decade. You can count their collabs on one hand. But with one of the rarest Jordans ever made under their shared belt, who cares?
Still, could this be the prequel to more regular Carhartt x Nike link-ups? The Swoosh did resurrect its Levi’s collaboration in a big way this year, so maybe fellow workwear label Carhartt is next.
And it’s not like Carhartt WIP forgot how to do sneakers. The brand’s been regularly linking up with New Balance and Nike-owned Converse.
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