Carhartt für Kölner Modejunkies

A typical staple of sci-fi shows is the one where they land on a planet, and find that some incredibly generic object or person has become an item of worship. Okay, that and "The Gods Must Be Crazy." Well, I'm planning my trip to Europe, and came across the same thing.

It's no secret that I wear Carhartts. I love them. I have them in almost every color. But when I was in Europe, I immediately got pegged as an American. They're only made in American, and only sold in America, so a lot of times no matter where I would go, people would just started talking to me in English as soon as they saw the pants. It wasn't a bad thing, just a dead giveaway.

As it turns out, I knew well Germany has a real big hip hop scene. Die Fantastischen Vier ("The Fantastic Four") are one of my favorite German groups. And, Carhartt has become heavily adopted by the German hip hop scene.

So some time ago, Carhartt started making and selling Carhartt in Europe. And last December opened a store of it's own in the world in Cologne, Germany (Köln, as it's known by the natives). Right in the middle of a haute couture shopping district. It's complete with lounge and appearances by musicians. (I later found out they also have such stores in London, Madrid, Paris and Berlin.)

So what's daily construction workwear on one side of the world is showing up all over in hip hop videos on the other.

See for yourself.

http://www.hokohoko.com/Carhartt_Store.962.0.html