Wylie Welling: Reviving Carhartt's Legacy Through Vintage Workwear

Wylie Welling, a company founded by Gretchen Valade, the great-great-granddaughter of Carhartt's original founder, is dedicated to revitalizing classic Carhartt garments. The brand focuses on finding, restoring, and reselling iconic workwear items such as chore coats and dungarees. Since its launch earlier this spring, Wylie Welling has unveiled eight distinct capsule collections and plans to open a physical retail store in Detroit later this year.

Valade's curated collections serve a dual purpose: honoring Carhartt's rich history and significantly extending the lifespan of its renowned durable products. For instance, Collection 7 featured exclusively unworn painter pants from the late 1990s, crafted from Carhartt's signature woven drill fabric. The most recent offering, Collection 8, showcases a late-summer color palette incorporating earthy browns, purples, tans, and blues. This collection, comprising 36 items predominantly from the 1990s and 2000s, ranges from bomber jackets to flannel shirts and denim shorts, representing some of the finest vintage Carhartt pieces available online. Collection 9, set to release on Thursday, will focus on graphic tees from the same decades.

The sourcing process for Wylie Welling's unique pieces relies on an in-house team connected to a network of dealers and independent sellers. This relationship-driven approach allows the team to discover items before they reach public markets. The selection criteria extend beyond age, encompassing color, fabric, rarity, and the distinct character developed through years of wear. Valade views the natural fading and wear on these garments as artistic elements, highlighting their inherent beauty and the unique narratives they carry. The brand also seeks out uncommon chapters of Carhartt's history, exemplified by Collection 8's focus on unexpected purple and mauve shades from the '90s. While some repairs are essential for continued wear, such as fixing zippers or patching holes in pocket linings, the team often preserves other signs of wear to maintain the garment's authentic story.

The passion for vintage items drives the Wylie Welling team to seek out older and rarer pieces, especially those from the 1980s or earlier, and unique items from Carhartt's 100th anniversary in 1989. The brand recognizes the deep nostalgia associated with Carhartt, where garments evoke memories of family members or youthful experiences. Valade emphasizes that wearing vintage is not about appropriating someone else's identity but rather about appreciating the object's unique personality and allowing a well-crafted item to continue its journey. Growing up within the family business instilled in Valade a forward-thinking mindset and a drive for innovation, fostering a continuous questioning of established practices to ensure the brand's enduring evolution for future generations.