Carhartt, Inc.is an Americanclothingcompany founded in 1889, known for heavy-duty work wear such as jackets, coats, overalls, coveralls, vests, shirts, jeans, dungarees, fire-resistant clothing and hunting apparel. Carhartt remains a family-owned company, owned by the descendants of founder Hamilton Carhartt, with its headquarters inDearborn, Michigan.It is known for its slogan "True to This".[3]
 | |
 Carhartt headquarters | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Workwear |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Headquarters | Dearborn, Michigan,U.S. |
Key people | Mark Valade (Executive Chairman) and Linda Hubbard (President & CEO)[1] |
| Revenue | $600 million (2013)[2] |
Number of employees | 5,500 |
| Website | www.carhartt.com |
Founding and history
editCarhartt was founded by Hamilton Carhartt in 1889 in Detroit, Michigan, to make work clothing for manual laborers. The company started with two sewing machines and five workers. Carhartt's first slogan was "Honest value for an honest dollar." The company's initial expansion in the 1890s focused on railroad workers' need for strong and long-lasting work clothes. Carhartt worked closely with local railroad workers to ensure that his work bibs met their needs. Within 20 years of its founding, Carhartt had expanded its facilities into eight other cities, including locations in theUnited KingdomandCanada.Carhartt downsized due to declining sales during the Great Depression, but experienced a resurgence inWorld War II.[4][5][2][6]
Over the years, Carhartt clothing items evolved trademark features intended to extend durability, including the use of heavy-duty thread, reinforcingrivetsat stress points, and a variety of durable, high-technology materials resistant to flame, abrasion, stains, and water.[7]Today, Carhartt clothing is commonly found onconstructionsites,farmsandranches,among other job sites.[4][5]
Carhartt had total sales of $92 million in 1990. As of 1992, Carhartt sold more than two million jackets per year.[4][5]As of 2013, Carhartt had sales of about $600 million per year.[2]
Products
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Carhartt is renowned for its full-cut, wind-resistant, snag-proof, heavy-duty work jackets popular with construction workers, miners, farmers, hunters, and outdoors enthusiasts. Carhartt has also successfully expanded its appeal to general street wear. Carhartt jackets are plain and manufactured in muted colors such as mustard, khaki, and navy blue. They are usually waist-length or three-quarter length. Most are made from relatively stiff 12-ounce cotton canvas with triple-stitched seams. Carhartt also makes pants and overalls with colors and materials that match its jackets. Carhartt jackets are not designed for unusually tall or slender men; they are typically cut wide around the middle to accommodate hefty men.[4][5][2]
In 2007, the company launched the Carhartt for Women[8]line of women's workwear for the fall season.
Collaborations
editCollaborations from 2013 also include lines from Adam Kimmel × Carhartt, as well as collections through theA.P.C.× Carhartt line. Both collections used fashion designers, Adam Kimmel and Jean Touitou.[9][10]
Carhartt Silverado
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Carhartt partnered withChevroletto create the Carhartt Silverado, a special edition truck featuring design elements inspired by Carhartt’s workwear. This version of the Silverado included a custom interior with brown seat covers, Carhartt branding, and all-weather floor liners. The collaboration aimed to reflect the rugged and practical qualities associated with both brands.
In 2014, Carhartt launched a craft beer in cooperation withMichiganbrewery New Holland Brewing (The Carhartt Woodsman).[11]
Work in Progress (WIP)
editSwiss couple Edwin and Salomée Faeh, designers specializing in denim, discussed representing Carhartt in Europe when they visited the United States in 1989 (the centenary of the company's founding). They started by selling Carhartt's authentic workwear. In 1994, they were granted a license to create their own lines of clothing under the nameCarhartt Work in Progress(WIP).[12]WIP is the streetwear version of the Carhartt brand, often marketed as comparable toStüssyorSupreme.
Carhartt WIP often collaborates with other streetwear brands. An example would be the line ofA Bathing ApeX Carhartt WIP camouflage hoodies and jackets.[13]There have also been collaborations withA.P.C.,Comme des Garçons,Vetements,[14]Junya WatanabePontus Alv's Polar Skate Co, and Gosha Rubchinskiy and Tolya Titaev's skate brand PACCBET.[15]The WIP founders' strategy was to immerse themselves in sub-cultures that interested them and pursue marketing activities that existed in them. This includedgraffiti,fanzines,skateboarding,hip hop,[12]and aBMXcycle team. Carhartt WIP have a number of stores in Europe (includingBerlin,London,Madrid,andBarcelona,Asia, Australia and also in the U.S. (New York CityandLos Angeles).[16]
In theLondon riotsof August 2011, the Carhartt WIP outlet store inHackneyin the North of the city was looted as thousands ofpoundsworth of stock was stolen. The brand released a t-shirt with a photo of their storefront mid-looting.[14]
In 2023 Carhartt WIP announced its collaboration with the design house Marni.[17]
Operations and corporate affairs
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Carhartt is still a privately held, family-owned company, owned by the descendants of founder Hamilton Carhartt.
Carhartt owns and operates its manufacturing base in Mexico as well as a number of unionized factories and distribution centers in the United States. Carhartt offers a "Union-Made in USA" line of workwear through its retailers. The company has four factories in the United States. The firm also makes an effort to use domestic suppliers: in 2015, Carhartt purchased 19.5 million pounds of cotton from Georgia, as well as 32 million buttons and 1 million drawcords, both made in Kentucky.[6]
The manufacturing of many of Carhartt's non-core apparel items have beenoutsourcedto countries includingChinaandMexico.Carhartt requires its international suppliers to beWorldwide Responsible Accredited Production(WRAP) certified.
As of 2003, Carhartt operated four factories in twoMexican statesemploying about 2,000 workers. In 1997, Carhartt built a plant inPénjamo,state ofGuanajuato,Mexico, and in December 2001 opened a second plant about 30 miles away, inIrapuato.In 2003, Carhartt purchased two additional facilities from the Labor Board of the state ofDurangoin an auction. All of Carhartt's Mexican plants have WRAP certification. In 2003 Carhartt opened another plant in Penjamo, in the former HD Lee building.
Carhartt EMEA (Europe,Middle EastandAfrica) was formed in 2006 to provide workwear to the European market (WIP).
Sales and advertising
editLarge regional farm stores likeBlain's Farm & Fleet,Fleet FarmandTractor Supply Companyare among the company's most important retailers.[18]Carhartt itself operates retail stores in the U.S. Uniquely, it celebrates the opening of its stores with a sledgehammer smashing a wall instead of a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony.[19]The company operates a "flagship" store in downtown Detroit in the oldCass Motor Salesbuilding.[6]
Carhartt keeps most of its advertising work in-house, a rare arrangement for a firm its size. Its ads feature actual consumers on actual work sites. In the past Carhartt focused on advertisements in magazines such asPopular MechanicsandAmerican Cowboywith slogans like "As Rugged As The Men Who Wear Them." More recently the company has updated its style and has even partnered with actorJason Momoato make ads on things like surfing, hunting as a family tradition, and women making donuts while wearing suspenders.[6]
In popular culture
editIn 1990,Tommy Boy Recordsused Carhartt jackets as a promotional vehicle and had its logo embroidered on them.[4]Tommy Boy initially gave away 800 such jackets to "tastemakers and people seen in all the right places."[4]This effort was so successful that the record label eventually started expanding into clothing.[4]Carhartt has gained popularity within the hip-hop community, with notable rappers such asTupacandDr. Drewearing the brand. Carhartt jackets and their evolution as fashion items were featured prominently at theBronx Museum of the Artsexhibition entitled "One Planet Under a Groove: Hip-Hop and Contemporary Art" in 2002.[20][6]
Carhartt has become a part of the local culture in Alaska.Talkeetnahas held an annual "Carhartt Ball" since 1996.[21]TheAlaska State Fairhosts a Carhartt fashion show. Carhartt capitalized on the growth of the working class in Alaska in the late 20th century due to the growth of the oil industry by having its local sales representative, Doug Tweedie, carefully cultivate relationships with the independent stores that dominate the state's relatively isolated retail market. Per-capita sales of the brand's products are higher in Alaska than anywhere else in the world.[6][21][22]
The main characters ofInterstellarwear Carhartt jackets. Carhartt products were on screen for about one hour.[23][2]Matthew McConaugheywore the Duck Detroit Jacket #J001.[24]Jessica Chastainwore the Weathered Duck Quinwood Chore Coat.
Liam Neesonwore a Carhartt jacket inBefore and After.[18]
The titular character in theNetflixseriesMarvel'sLuke Cageis often seen wearing Carhartt apparel throughout the series. His signature "bulletridden hoodie" is a customized version of the Carhartt Rain Defender Rutland hooded sweatshirt.[25]
Carhartt is popular with politicians trying to connect with blue-collar voters.John Fetterman,Sarah Palin,Rick Perry,andBarack Obamahave all been seen prominently wearing Carhartt clothing.[6]
The television seriesYellowstoneprominently features Carhartt clothing.[26]
In the French TV seriesLupinvarious characters wear Carhartt products.
In the American TV seriesSupernatural,the protagonists are seen using Carhartt products.
Sponsorships and philanthropy
editCarhartt supports various labor and community initiatives, including theNational FFA Organizationand work training programs likeHelmets to Hardhats.The company has contributed to disaster relief efforts, including the donation of workwear to rescue crews during the9/11 attacks.In 2020, Carhartt shifted some of its U.S. production to manufacturing protective masks and medical gowns in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6][2][27]
References
edit- ^"Carhartt History".carhartt.com.RetrievedSeptember 5,2024.
- ^abcdefFerrier, Morwenna (12 November 2014). "How a Carhartt jacket went from blue-collar uniform to hipsterwear to Interstellar".The Guardian.
- ^Bianco, David (2006)."Carhartt, Inc".International Directory of Company Histories.
- ^abcdefgMarriott, Michel (29 November 1992)."THING; The Carhartt Jacket".The New York Times.
- ^abcdMundow, Anna (11 January 1993). "Pretty? No. Utilitarian? Yes". The Irish Times.
- ^abcdefghRiley, Tonya (15 July 2017)."What It Means to Be a Working-Class Clothing Brand in America Today".Esquire Magazine.Retrieved6 June2022.
- ^"REHAB Technology".UConOnline.com.Gulf Publishing Holdings LLC. March 2019. p. 40.Retrieved27 July2022.
- ^"Durable Workwear, Outdoor Apparel, & Gear - Carhartt".
- ^"A.p.c. | Carhartt".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-23.Retrieved2013-10-22.
- ^"Carhartt x Adam Kimmel Fall/Winter 2012 | Carhartt WIP".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-23.Retrieved2013-10-22.
- ^"The Road Home to Craftsmanship Tour – Event and Tour Details Announced".New Holland Brewing. Archived fromthe originalon 2018-04-01.Retrieved2018-04-01.
- ^ab"the carhartt wip archives: how this work in progress celebrates, cultivates and collaborates in youth subcultures".i-D magazine.
- ^Killip, Teofilo (19 August 2013)."A History of BAPE Collaborations".Complex.Complex Media, Inc.Retrieved6 June2022.
- ^ab"How Carhartt WIP became a subcultural phenomenon".Dazed Digital.com. 17 October 2016.
- ^"Why Carhartt WIP is the founding Streetwear brand and Why it doesn't care if you know it or not".HighSnobiety.com. 10 November 2016.
- ^"Carhartt WIP Stores".Carhartt-WIP.com.
- ^"Carhartt WIP x Marni Collaboration Surfaces".Hypebeast.2022-12-30.Retrieved2024-08-21.
- ^abGivhan, Robin (28 April 1996). "Pasture Prime".The Washington Post.
- ^DeMasi, Michael (12 April 2012). "Forget the fake scissors, bring the sledgehammer: Carhartt's grand opening at Crossgates Mall". The Business Review (Albany).
- ^Arany, Lynne (24 April 2002). "NEW YORK; Sites That Are Small, But, Oh, So Fashionable".The New York Times.
- ^abSinger, Natasha (2002-10-01)."In Alaska, These Pants Save Lives. Do You Own a Pair?".Outside Online.Retrieved2024-10-07.
- ^Stowe, Jay (2024-10-04)."How I Discovered the Story of Alaska's Lifesaving Pants".Outside Online.Retrieved2024-10-07.
- ^"Interstellar Fashion Items Identified: Carhartt Jackets, Hamilton Watches For Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain".StyleFrizz.com. 2014.Retrieved3 May2015.
- ^Hepburn, Ned (5 November 2014)."Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar, and the All-American Jacket".Esquire Magazine.Retrieved12 October2017.
- ^"Marvel's Luke Cage - Costumed DIY Guide".Costume DIY Guide.Retrieved25 October2017.
- ^Balkovich, Robert."The Ridiculous Product Placements You Never Noticed In Yellowstone".
- ^"Carhartt | Shifts US Production to Medical PPE".www.carhartt.com.Retrieved2020-04-02.
External links
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