American workwear never dies. Its presence within fashion and pop culture comes in arcs, but the classic silhouettes of American workwear have continued to transcend both their utilitarian and fashion settings for decades, now.
Most garments have roots in some sort of utilitarian function, but, at the time of writing, mid-century American workwear is having a real ‘moment’. We’re talking Carhartt, Dickies, Ben Davis, double-knee pants, work shirts and jackets, duck canvas, carpenter pants, and heavy twill trousers — the kind of garb that clads postal workers, and tradespeople across North America. While many members of the American workforce rely on these silhouettes, their timeless style and functionality mean they also slot into many modern wardrobes, appreciated by the everyman, the young and trendy, and everyone in between.
Perhaps what is so attractive about brands like Carhartt and Ben Davis is that they keep it real. Yes, Carhartt experiments with its streetwear-centric WIP label, but domestic Carhartt still makes the same workwear it’s been making for decades. From the same fabrics, too. The same goes for Dickies, too. They too make some more modern styles that are sold to mall store retailers like Urban Outfitters, but their core workwear offering has remained a constant. And Ben Davis? They haven’t changed their silhouettes in the slightest. They make wide, stiff, and starchy workwear designed to be broken in and well-loved by its wearer — a philosophy that has made it a favorite of ex-Heddeler and Tik Tok sensation Albert Muzquiz. In a world full of smoke and mirrors, these dependable American classics remain a constant, and there’s something attractive about that for almost everybody.
With the perennial appreciation for classic workwear as tangible as ever, we thought we’d put together a quick rundown of 5 modern American brands making that aforementioned flavor of iconic blue-collar garb. You know the old stalwarts, so here are a few niche players to keep your eye on if you want to invest in something that’s different, but still tough as nails.
Randy’s Garments
Image via Randy’s Garments
A staff favorite here at Heddels, Randy’s Garments is a New York-based workwear brand. Clearly taking inspiration from cornerstone labels like Carhartt and Dickies, Randy’s Garments sets itself apart by designing and producing all of its workwear within NYC’s garment district. It’s true American workwear.
Images via Randy’s Garments
Randy’s has that old-school way about it but it still feels distinctively fresh and exciting. Its logo — which can be seen on most of the brand’s goods in the form of a charming woven tab — is reminiscent of some sort of handy-man ad in the back of a directory or something, but it doesn’t look overly ‘vintage’ or antiquated. It just works.
Randy’s Garments 7-Pocket Jean in Raw American Denim, available for $210 from Lost & Found.
Randy’s has a range of bread-and-butter pieces like tees, beanies, and workshirts, but it also makes seasonal denim goods and work jackets. Highlights of SS23 include 7 pocket work pants made with indigo-dyed raw denim from Mt. Vernon Mills and Randy’s range of Service Jackets, coming in both ripstop and slub canvas.
Randy’s Garments Service Jacket in Natural Slub Canvas (left) and Olive Ripstop (right), available for $275 and $241 respectively from Lost & Found.
Carson Wach
A range of Carson Wach garb, is available at SSENSE.
Named after its founder who has a history working with Hurley, Carson Wach is a workwear-centric fashion brand offering full cuts and interesting materials.
Like this? Read these:
Founded in 2017, Carson Wach is based in Los Angeles. While its styles have a more catwalk feel to them, it’s clear that Carson Wach has modern workwear within its DNA. Its roster is bursting with double-knee pants, jeans, and other silhouettes inspired by construction work — and everything is made in L.A. with top-quality construction —ensuring a long-lasting and hardy garment. “ready to wear, made in Los Angeles”, the brand’s tagline, harkens back to workwear advertisements of yore.
Two renditions of Carson Wach’s 333 Pant, both made in Cone Mills fabrics and available from Carson Wach for $270 and $225 respectively.
Carson Wach’s signature garments are its 333 Jeans and Pants, which come in both standard and double-knee renditions. The silhouette is a wide, no-nonsense pant with plenty of room throughout the leg, and is currently offered in a wide range of fabrics including denim Cone and Mt. Vernon Mills. All pairs are branded with Wach’s ‘W’ arcuates, which also appear on the brand’s equally wide and boxy work jackets.
You can check out Carson Wach on its website.
Rosa Rugosa
Matty Matheson in the Rosa Rugosa Studio, via Matty Matheson on Twitter
Back in 2022, Canadian Chef and fashionista Matty Matheson launched the clothing line Rosa Rogusa, in partnership with designer Ray Natale. Rosa Rogusa specializes in traditional workwear with inherent inspiration from the likes Dickies, Carhartt, Ben Davis. The brand’s focus is on producing simple, quality, functional, and stylish clothes that can be worn by tradespeople and influencers alike.
“Our founders, chef Matty Matheson and designer Ray Natale, have worked in industries where trade garments are an essential part of the day-to-day routine. The long, hard hours spent honing our crafts allowed us to witness our workwear break down frequently. Seeking clothes that provide utility, quality and style led to their partnership. The shared belief is that quality, more than anything else, determines the success of a concept: the strength of a lifestyle brand and its connection to those who outwardly support it.
Beauty is the crack in the concrete, we are the rose that grows in the gravel. Rosa Rugosa, For work or sport.”
Rusa Rugosa Dufferin Double Knee Pants, available in a range of colors from Rusa Rugosa for $220.
The Rosa Rugosa collection offers a range of tradewear staples, all made in Canada to high specs for longevity and purpose. Long and short sleeve shirting, chore and mechanic-style service jackets, double-knee pants, and work shorts are all garments offered up in a range of both traditional and progressive colorways. Cotton/poly blends pioneered by the iconic workwear brands are seen in spades, providing that clean and iconic crisp workwear look.
Rosa Rugosa Dunn Shirt in 65.35 cotton/poly blend, available for $155 from Rosa Rugosa.
But perhaps the most unique offering from Rosa Rugosa is its size-inclusive offerings — shirting runs up to 4XL and pants up to size 52. Matheson himself is a big boy, so he’s ensured that the Rugosa size runs can be enjoyed by those with a bigger frame, which is a fantastic point of difference.
Check out Rosa Rugosa to see their full line of Canadian-made workwear.
Grease Point Workwear
Work Jean in Japanese Duck Canvas, available for $359 from Grease Point Workwear.
Grease Point Workwear was founded by Amos Culbertson. Born in Colorado, Amos grew up on his family’s organic cotton farm, working the land in between going to school and skateboarding. After getting his BS and Master’s degree in geology, he taught himself to make jeans — a hobby that eventually turned into his very own workwear brand, Grease Point Workwear.
Grease Point takes the classic workwear silhouettes like work shirts and double-knee pants and elevates them with more nuanced designs, fine and unique fabrics, and top-notch construction. All garments are made in the brand’s Seattle studio by Amos and his team, using a collection of traditional industrial sewing machines
I am inspired by my upbringing in a hard-working family on an organic farm in Colorado, and a long-time passion for skateboarding and its style-centric culture. I make clothing with work in mind using the best materials available, while placing high importance on detail and aesthetic. – Amos Culbertson
Orchard Shirt in 10 oz. Japanese Selvedge Twill avaialble for $279 from Grease Point Workwear.
Engineered Garments Workaday
Engineered Garments Workaday Cotton Reversed Sateen Utility Jacket and Utility Sweatshirt, available for $314 and $294 respectively from Sun House.
Workaday is a sub-label of Engineered Garments that consists of a collection of essential workwear basics, built to last in the USA.
Engineered Garments mainline may be heavily workwear-inspired, but Workaday is simply pure, functional workwear classics like chore coats, fatigues, denim garb, and warm, hard-wearing sweats. No pocket-laden garments or funky patterns to be seen, here.
Workaday Utility Jacket in 12oz. Indigo Denim, available from Nepenthes for $324.
