Is Workwear High Fashion's Latest Obsession?

Whether it be metal music, skateboarding, or the metaverse, nothing quite escapes the grasp of high fashion. For years now, the big players in the fashion game have looked to unique subcultures, sports, and other sects of the clothing world to inspire, influence and lay the groundwork for their next upcoming works, and as 2023 begins to take shape, it would seem there's a new shared focus on the horizon.

We are, of course, referring to the recent explosion of high fashion and workwear linkups we're seeing across the industry. One of the top stories to come out of Paris Fashion Week last month was the use of workwear-like silhouettes in several of the event's runway shows, prompting the question of 'just when did a product of the manual labour industry become part of the luxury fashion zeitgeist?'

To truly understand this latest craze, we need to take a trip back to workwear's humble beginnings. While one could argue the first semblance of workwear pre-dates the middle ages when workers would wear clothes to signify a specific job role or title, we're more so referring to the silhouettes worn by manual labourers from the start of the 18th century. Think chore jackets, overalls, corduroy pants, work shirts and carpenter trousers. All these staples you would expect to see in the wardrobe of your average fashion-conscious individual, were once used for labour due to their robust and hard-wearing constructions - who would have thought it?

Workwear's original foray into fashion, and more specifically streetwear, can be traced to its subcultural ties. Because of its affordability, heritage and style, workwear brands such as Carhartt and Dickies were adopted by the hip-hop and skateboarding communities around the '90s, repurposing these hard-wearing styles as fashion pieces rather than items worn exclusively by grafters. With both of these subcultures being two of the key pillars behind the modern streetwear movement, it didn't take long for others to notice.

Now, while we're seeing a spate of high-fashion and workwear collaborations in recent times, it wouldn't exactly be fair to call this the beginning of the duo's relationship. The precise origins of where high fashion started to embrace its industrial counterpart are cloudy, but one creator who was evidently ahead of the curve was Japanese designer and COMME des GARÇONS protege, Junya Watanabe. Junya's eponymous label decided to rework Carhartt's famed Chore Coat back in 2010, putting a distinctive CdG-like twist on the icon. Woollen plaid sections, camo interiors, and leather elbow patches graced both black and tan iterations, giving each a luxury twist but somewhat losing the practicality aspect workwear had been so dependent on until this point.

Seeing the success of his creations, Junya opted to continue to embrace these workwear looks, specifically with the Carhartt brand, through the coming years. You could argue this, in turn, influenced the next wave of luxury and workwear link-ups. Take Heron Preston's 2016 collaboration with The New York City Department of Sanitation, for instance. Designer Heron Preston and his namesake label collaborated with DSNY for a collaborative range simply inspired by the worker's uniforms. The entire selection was created using upcycled clothing and donated sanitation workwear, resulting in a range that managed to capture the luxury streetwear climate of the time whilst acknowledging its blue-collar roots.

Not long after, in 2017, Demna Gvasalia (of the now-controversial Balenciaga) issued a collaboration with Carhartt WIP under his tenure at VETEMENTS. Delivering heavyweight shirts and overalls, this collection would look more at home in a painter's arsenal as opposed to a luxury runway show. By this point, workwear was now a key player within the streetwear industry, with each respective brand gaining traction across the fashion realm. However, with all that said, one could argue that something was missing, and that was the influence of some of the key players.

If you had told us Gucci and Dickies would come together to collaborate at some point, we'd likely have called your bluff, but in an unpredictable fashion, the duo came together at the end of 2022 to essentially mark the beginning of this new collaborative wave. Championing Dickies' icon silhouettes such as the Eisenhower Jacket, the 874 Work Pant and the classic Work Shirt, Gucci put its signature twist on things, decking each piece out with an overtly in-your-face aesthetic - a far cry from these laboured looks' origins. Spikes, sequins and studs were featured in abundance, and unsurprisingly, the price point changed by quite a lot too.

The famed Eisenhower jacket went from costing a measly $70 to an eye-watering sum of $7,410. Now, while we could sit here and debate about how highly inflated this price rise is, the jacket itself did come with a certain rarity factor since it's only available to purchase via a bespoke appointment. Does this justify the price? Certainly not, but one could argue that you have to applaud the effort.

Hot on the tails of Gucci x Dickies and painting a similar picture was January's collaboration between Marni and Carhartt WIP. Having made a name as a company that doesn't discriminate when it comes to collaborative efforts, Carhartt WIP allowed Milanese luxury label Marni to rework a range of its silhouettes. After developing a reputation for its '60s-inspired prints and patterns, Marni employed an eccentric blossom-printed design across hooded work jackets, bucket hats, shirts and much more. Additionally, a colour-blocked design consisting of beige, brown and red hues decorated a mix of cord, knit and shearling pieces, with one jacket commanding a substantial £3,200 price tag.

The latest to preview their workwear offerings at Paris Fashion Week was Japanese luxury designer sacai. sacai's further integration of workwear into high-fashion arrived courtesy of yet another Carhartt WIP collaboration, this time showcasing sacai's niche skill set for garment hybridization. By taking silhouettes such as the famed robust cotton Chore Coat and recreating them with knitted yarn, sacai managed to reimage its workwear offerings through its own distinctive guise.

It almost prompts the question - is this the future for high fashion and workwear together? It seems there are parallels to be drawn between Gucci's and sacai's efforts, for example. One simply emblazoned its own brash and bold offerings atop an iconic silhouette, while the other decided to offer its own reimagined take on things, therefore paying homage and breathing life back into a classic. For workwear not to become another high-fashion fad, a certain degree of imagination is going to be required, but only time will tell if that's going to be a realistic possibility.