Artist and designer Clay Arlington

For its Spring 2021 campaign, Carhartt WIP has worked with artist and designer Clay Arlington, creating a series of images that reference the artist’s past body of work, as well as the brand’s own cultural rooting.

Fire extinguishers, oral motifs, and basketballs – in this case, one created by Spalding for Carhartt WIP S/S21 collection – all draw from Arlington’s signature aesthetic, and are combined with text- based works that offer a knowing interpretation of the brand’s DNA. One image features artist and model Ivy Johnson, her back turned to the camera while wearing a white hoodie, with the words “it’s just work” scrawled on tape across the bottom.

These works, created by Arlington, have appeared on billboards in cities such as London, New York and Los Angeles. On the 13th of May, Carhartt WIP will release two t-shirts featuring them, combined with other text-based components. Each t-shirt will also come with a limited edition posterzine.