In the late '80s, the gangsta and Native Tongues movements took rap to a grittier and more down-to-earth level. And as hip-hop became increasingly real, so too did its style, as American workwear brand Carhartt eclipsed the acid-washed steezo of the day with a durable, hardcore aesthetic that swept the hip-hop nation. Established in 1889 to meet the tailored needs of railroad workers, Carhartt suddenly found itself, a century later, involved in the nascent hip-hop apparel market. This newfound base led to the mid-'90s creation of streetwear-focused European and Japanese divisions that have left the States in the cold. For the past decade these overseas offshoots have translated the acquired subcultural edge of the brand into a line with an attitude all its own. "They have a European design team who've used elements of their workwear roots and fused it with a classic streetwear look," says Charlie Henery of Brand Width, a company that distributes Carhartt in Europe from its base in London. While the brand's untouched workwear goods are widely available domestically, tracking down the fusion pieces from Carhartt's international division provides all the style back story, yet with the relevant and up-to-the-minute execution on which the brand has made its name abroad.