Music to Our Ears: Marni x Carhartt WIP

The idea of fusing Marni, the iconic Italian fashion house that has gotten a strictly all-black-wearing New Yorker such as myself into bright colors, not to mention florals, by way of their chic and innovative designs, with Carhartt WIP, the beloved, skate culture-inspired younger sister of the traditional workwear brand Carhartt — is the bright, colorblocked breath of fresh air we need right now as we all gear up for another fashion season. 

Featuring Carhartt WIP's classic silhouettes and canvas fabric, we see the Marni clover print and two-tone designs reimagined as a Single Knee Pant, a chore coat, as well as slip-on Marni sneakers and t-shirts featuring the mesh silhouette of a basketball jersey. However, it's the subtle co-branded flips like heart-shaped buttons and leather accents that really take into consideration both Carhartt archives dating back to the 1800s as well as that recognizably modern and artful Marni flair.

For the campaign, the brands have built scenes around the title of the collection as well as the mutidisciplinary initiative that will unfold with the release, 'A Marni Jam', honing in on the spirit of funk and music history, featuring Bootsy Collins — formerly of Parliament-Funkadeilc — joined by his wife Patti and grandson Vincent and musician Babyxsosa in their Cincinatti home.

Marni and Carhartt WIP will mark their collaboration with an in-store jam session at the Marni Montenapoleone flagship during Milan Fashion Week, kicking off Marni Jam, a multidisciplinary program that will further unfold globally. The collection will release on January 14th, 2023 and will be available at Marni.com, in Marni boutiques and selected multi-brand stores across the globe, as well as selected Carhartt WIP flagships.