WIP is a separate brand, based in Germany. It was originally started by a guy that loved american rap music and the aesthetic that went with it, so he started buying Carhartt at retail and selling it for a huge mark-up in his store. Eventually Carhartt and him came to some business agreement where he pays for the rights to use the name and logos and whatnot, but it's an almost completely separate thing in every way.
I work in the clothing industry, and it's a horrible horrible business. But I love making clothes, so it's a bit of a predicament for me. I've taught many people to sew and when people start to see that making something as simple as a shirt could take them hours (or several days in some cases when they're really new to it) they start to understand why buying a shirt at Zara or somewhere for $20 is a huge problem. If someone works hours to make something, what is the hourly cost of their labor if the finished product is sold for $20? Not even taking into account the cost of the materials and shipping the things all over the world and the paying the staff in the stores and rent for the spaces and electricity to keep the lights on and all of it. To put it in the simplest terms, SHIT'S FUCKED.
My 2 greatest passions in life have been skating and fashion, and I've always strived to keep them very very separate. My old boss wanted me to skate down the runway several times and I flat-out refused every time. I won't contaminate skating with the horror show that is fashion.
Respect the people who make your clothes, it's not easy and it's not glamorous.
And try not to buy poly or other synthetics because it's horrible for everyone and everything.
I'll step off my pulpit now, thank you very much.
Topic: Union and Worker CO-OP made gear thread (Read 1749 times)