The more popular a brand gets, the more copies turn up, and Carhartt WIP is now one of the most faked names in menswear. Marketplace listings, social media ads and resale apps are full of pieces that look right in a photo and fall apart in the wash. Here's how to tell the difference.

Start with where you're buying

This is the most reliable check. Carhartt WIP only supplies its own stores, its official website and authorised stockists. If a shop has a proper address, a customer service team and a range of other genuine brands, you're on safe ground. If it's a site you've never heard of that popped up in an ad, with every size in stock and no way to contact anyone, be careful.

If the price seems too good, it is

WIP does go on sale, but official sale prices follow a pattern: end of season, selected lines, sensible reductions. A brand-new Detroit Jacket in the current season's colour at a third of the price isn't a bargain. It's a warning.

Check the logo patch

The square C logo patch is one of the most copied details and one of the easiest to get wrong. On a genuine piece it's neatly woven or embroidered, with clean edges and even lettering, and it's stitched on straight and securely. On fakes you'll often see thick, blurry lettering, fraying edges or a patch sitting at a slight angle.

Look at the stitching

Carhartt WIP comes from workwear, and the construction shows it. Seams are straight, stitching is tight and consistent, and stress points like pockets and belt loops are reinforced. Loose threads, uneven lines or thin single stitching on a jacket or work pant are a bad sign.

Feel the fabric

Genuine canvas has real weight and stiffness when new. Sweats feel dense and thick. Fakes tend to use thinner, lighter material that feels soft in the wrong way straight away. If a Detroit Jacket feels floppy, it probably isn't a Detroit Jacket.

Check the hardware and labels

Zips, snaps and rivets on genuine pieces feel solid and are usually branded. Inside, care and size labels should be clearly printed and properly sewn in. Misspellings, blurry print and cheap-feeling hardware are giveaways.

Buying second-hand

Vintage and resale are great ways to buy WIP, but ask the seller for close-up photos of the logo patch, inside labels and stitching before you pay. If they won't send them, walk away.

Buy with confidence

We're an authorised Carhartt WIP stockist, so everything we sell comes directly through the brand. Come into the shop on Yarm High Street to see it in person, or shop online with free UK delivery over £100.