Carhartt WIP

The Challenge

Carhartt WIP North America needed more than just a simple Shopify theme – they needed a headless architecture capable of delivering high performance, unique experiences, and operational efficiency.

One of the biggest bottlenecks was content management: previously, the team had to manually upload resources such as product shots on a daily basis. On top of that, the editorial team responsible for store content management had to align their timelines with stock and development operations as there were content scheduling limitations.

For this project, the expectation was clear: build a store that wasn’t just fast for customers, but also fast for the internal team. While usually unseen, the latter was especially important – up to this point, the client's team had to spend hundreds of hours weekly delivering simple, manual tasks or stay up at night for collection launches instead of focusing on more strategic areas.

Commerce-UI’s task was to:

Deliver a feature-complete headless Shopify store in time for a global launch (the client wanted to release the store simultaneously to other markets, where a separate build was already in development).

Implement automations to eliminate manual workflows, freeing the content team from repetitive tasks.

Coordinate a complex, multi-step release process including migrating 20,000+ SKUs in a narrow 6-day window during a global release freeze.

Adjust store features like search, recommendations, merchandising, and content scheduling to handle high traffic drops and sales

Adapt Carhartt WIP Design System to the unique needs of the US market.

The Solution

Before entering the development phase, Commerce-UI ran an extended discovery workshop in order to better understand the client and the specifics of their operations. The workshop also allowed us to provide the client with a complete understanding of available options, their capabilities and opportunities they might bring to the table, as well as the cost evaluation for any option selected. As a result, Carhartt WIP and Commerce-UI drafted a bulletproof setup, selecting a tech stack that would best answer the client's needs, expectations, and budget.

Considering the flexibility, speed and native integrations offered by Shopify Hydrogen, Commerce-UI selected this framework to build the new Carhartt WIP North America store in order to match client’s needs and provide new possibilities, while its global team built in parallel on Next.js.

Hydrogen + Oxygen foundation

At the core of the build is Shopify Hydrogen, Shopify’s native React framework for headless commerce, deployed on Oxygen hosting. This choice gave Carhartt WIP the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a custom frontend, with the reliability and speed of a Shopify-native stack. Hydrogen’s server-side rendering and built-in caching ensured lightning-fast load times and stability during high-traffic periods. Its seamless integration with the Shopify ecosystem also made it easier to connect a wide range of tools without compromising performance. Compared to alternative frameworks, Hydrogen proved more purpose-built for eCommerce at scale – allowing Commerce-UI to deliver a store that feels instant, reliable, and endlessly adaptable. Also worth mentioning, Oxygen is provided for free within Shopify paid plans, which ultimately lowers the total cost of ownership over a Hydrogen framework.

Sanity.io CMS migration

The client already worked with Sanity.io due to its flexibility, and – over the course of the project – Commerce-UI fully adapted it to the new setup for more creative and operational freedom. The result is a more flexible, editorial-friendly platform that supports Carhartt WIP’s lifestyle brand DNA. With Sanity Content Releases, the team can plan and schedule entire collections weeks in advance, and with Sanity Preview, they can validate every update before it goes live. What used to be a manual release-day process is now structured, predictable, and empowering for the internal team.

Native Searchspring integration

In order to provide search speed and user-tailored recommendations, we decided for a native Searchspring integration, designed specifically for speed and personalization. Unlike the client’s previous custom setup, the native build delivers real-time product discovery: search and merchandising flows update instantly based on sales volume, stock availability, and user behavior. Customers now see personalized product recommendations aligned with their browsing and purchase history, while the search results load with zero delay. This makes the experience seamless and fast – a crucial factor for a brand known for high-traffic releases.

Shopify Flow powered automations

We also introduced a series of Shopify Flow automations that transformed back-office workflows:

Amplience integration: product photos are now automatically synchronized between CMS and Shopify, eliminating the tedious daily manual uploads.

Akeneo integration: enabled highly detailed product-specific size guides, reflecting the unique sizing of different garments. This not only saves time for the content team but also elevates the customer experience, offering clarity and confidence at checkout.

Design alignment

Although most design assets were created by the global team, Commerce-UI’s design lead adapted and fine-tuned them to fit the North American build.

Operational excellence

The team automated catalog and content workflows, eliminating redundant uploads and enabling the Carhartt WIP team to manage product launches, size guides, and editorial content at scale.

The Launch

The release plan was carefully scheduled with the client, with all tasks and stages aligned and set in a timeframe allowing for a seamless synchronization with the simultaneous release planned by the Global Team.

The challenging part was a narrow release timeframe due to the Carhartt WIP Sale ending 6 days before the global release. The client took a responsible code-freeze decision for the sale period, leaving less than a week for the new store release and necessary updates, making it a true sprint with zero tolerance for errors and delays.

Nonetheless, Carhartt WIP North America store went live according to the schedule, including a seamless transition of over 20,000 SKUs without downtime or traffic loss. Thanks to Hydrogen’s server-side rendering and optimized caching, integrations loaded instantly without flicker, ensuring an uninterrupted experience even at peak load.

The Impact

The new Carhartt WIP North America store delivers performance on every level. From the customer perspective, the site feels faster, smarter, and more aligned with the expectations of a premium brand. Search and product discovery now respond in real time, ensuring that high-demand drops and fast-moving stock are surfaced instantly. Personalized recommendations keep users engaged, while advanced size guides remove friction from the buying process. The look and feel of the store seamlessly aligns with Carhartt WIP’s global design DNA – but with the extra nuance needed for the North American market.

From the internal team’s perspective, the difference is transformative. What once required hours of repetitive manual uploads is now automated, freeing up resources to focus on higher-value tasks such as campaign planning and merchandising strategy. Sanity.io has given the eCommerce team the ability to plan and preview content ahead of time, while automation through Shopify Flow ensures consistency across product launches. The result is a platform that doesn’t just support the business — it unlocks new levels of agility and creativity for the Carhartt WIP North America team.

Key outcomes include:

Speed

Commerce-UI entered the project when the global store was deep in progress already; managed to deliver the store on time within a 6-day release timeframe.

Stability

No significant traffic decrease in the first week; early signs of growth ahead of the 28-day review.

Product discovery

Faster, more personalized search and merchandising flows powered by Searchspring.

Scalability

Automated processes save the Carhartt WIP team hours of manual work weekly.

The Partnership

This project demonstrated the value of close collaboration across global and regional teams. With Shopify Hydrogen at the core, Commerce-UI delivered not just a store, but an operational platform that will continue to evolve with Carhartt WIP’s North American ambitions.

With a further plan for store development, new features and ongoing maintenance, Commerce-UI continues to support Carhartt WIP on its eCommerce journey.