From technical clothing to streetwear, the line between what is born for a specific function and what becomes part of the language of fashion is increasingly thin. It is on this very ground that Carhartt WIP and Nike meet once again, presenting, eight years after their first collaboration, a new collection for the F/W26 season.
The campaign, directed by Bing Cao and shot entirely on 35mm film, chooses Manhattan as its setting and three protagonists who could hardly seem further apart: Christiano Wennmann, head pizzaiolo at Scarr’s in the Lower East Side, Rasheem Dunn, MVP of the Dyckman basketball tournament, and Abi Asisa, a London-based cellist and producer. The film follows them during the city’s quietest hours, as they cross streets and neighborhoods along independent paths. They don’t meet, they don’t share a story, but they move within the same urban landscape.
The cold, desaturated photography accompanies a narrative made of everyday gestures, movements and ordinary moments. It is in this context that the collaboration’s pieces take shape, without being isolated in a purely advertising dimension. Jackets, pants and sneakers enter the protagonists’ lives, becoming part of their surroundings and habits.
The collection includes six garments and three versions of the Air Max Goadome Low WIP, a reinterpretation of an outdoor silhouette introduced by Nike in 2000. The meeting point between the two brands is a re-reading of their respective archives: on one side Nike’s sporting tradition and performance research, on the other Carhartt WIP’s utilitarian approach, which over the years has developed a recognizable language through durable materials, functional construction and a constant dialogue with subcultures.
Among the central pieces is the Windrunner Active Jacket, which combines two historic models from the brands. The silhouette takes up Carhartt WIP’s Active Jacket, made in stonewashed Dearborn Canvas, with a kangaroo pocket and triple-needle stitching. Its look is altered by some elements of Nike’s Windrunner: the mesh lining, the contrasting chevron insert on the chest and the adjustable drawcord closures.
The same principle guides the Windrunner Drewe Pant, which merge the relaxed cut of Carhartt WIP’s Drewe Pant with the technical details of the Double Knee Pant. The reinforced knees, tool pockets and hammer loop are reinterpreted through angled inserts that echo the Windrunner’s distinctive chevron pattern. The offering is completed by a hoodie in brushed cotton, a graphic t-shirt, a long-sleeved top in honeycomb-knit cotton and a stretch beanie. Some pieces also feature pigment dyeing, which gives the surfaces a lived-in look and irregular shades.
Closing the collaboration is the Air Max Goadome Low WIP, a new low-profile interpretation of the iconic outdoor model. The upper combines durable canvas with suede and smooth leather inserts, while the metal eyelets and the Swoosh create a contrast with the shoe’s sturdy structure. The Carhartt WIP logo on the side reinforcement completes the design. The available colorways are Black, British Tan and Green, the latter exclusive to Carhartt WIP.
Rather than overlapping two identities, the collaboration works on the characteristics they share: the search for materials, attention to construction and a functionality that doesn’t give up on aesthetics. The result is a collection that takes elements from different worlds and recomposes them into a wardrobe designed to move between different contexts and habits.
