It’s been 50 years since Carhartt WIP first introduced the Active Jacket: a classic piece of outerwear designed as a heavier duty, insulated alternative to the heritage workwear brand’s Hooded Zip Jacket.
Now, as Hypebae reports, after five decades of changing the way the masses bundle up, the brand is paying homage to the jacket that started it all with a special 50th anniversary OG Active Jacket capsule. “To mark 50 years of the iconic Active Jacket, we have created four special edition designs. A symbol of memory and materiality, identity and adaptation, each new style honors the original.”
According to the brand, the Active Jacket’s shape was introduced in the US to serve a more casual consumer, and was based on the already popular Hooded Zip Sweatshirt, rebuilt with a tougher, reinforced exterior and insulated lining for warmth. In 1975, the style first appeared in denim – then considered an off-duty work fabric – with a bold red flannel lining. It was released in duck canvas shortly after, giving fans the recognizable style they all know today.
In 1997, Carhartt introduced their own interpretation of this style – now recognized as the OG Active Jacket, thanks to its loose, oversized silhouette. The item stayed true to its roots with a hooded bomber-style shape, triple stitching, and gold-tone hardware.
The anniversary-edition Active Jackets come in four reversible colorways, nodding to the Carhartt WIP archive. A denim version with a quilted satin lining is a direct reference to the original Active Jacket’s blue jeans and red flannel look, with the reversed style featuring a special anniversary slogan on the back. The jacket also arrives in black leather, turning inside out to reveal Carhartt WIP’s classic Dearborn canvas with the same anniversary lettering as the denim.
If those two aren’t quite your style, the OG Active Jacket is available in color-block black and red, and a playful camouflage version to complete a commemorative collection rooted in workwear history.
The OG Active Jacket collection is available to purchase from the Carhartt WIP website now.
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