Carhartt

Carhartt was founded by Hamilton Carhart in 1889 in Dearborn to produce clothing for manual work. The company began work with two sewing machines and five workers. The company's first slogan was: “Honest quality for an honest dollar.” In the 1890s, the company mainly produced clothes for railway workers, where strength and durability were primarily valued. Carhartt worked closely with local railroad workers to ensure that their products met their requirements. During the first twenty years after its founding, Carhartt acquired eight factories in other cities, including factories in the UK and Canada . During the Great Depression, the company suffered losses and was forced to reduce production, but during World War II it was again able to return to previous volumes, producing clothes for military needs ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} .

Over the years, the company has been striving for product longevity, including the use of extra-strong yarns, reinforced rivets in the right places and other various durable high-tech materials that are resistant to flame and water. Currently, Carhartt clothing is actively sold at construction sites, farms and ranches , among other work clothing stores ^{[3] [4]} .

In 1990, the company's sales amounted to ninety-two million dollars. By 1992, more than two million jackets were sold per year ^{[3] [4]} As of 2013, Carhartt's total sales reached six hundred million dollars a year ^[5] .

Carhartt is known for its durable, windproof, weighted work jackets, which are popular with miners , farmers , hunters and hikers. Carhartt was also able to attract interest in its products from a population not directly related to physical labor. Carhartt jackets are minimalist, muted in colors such as mustard or dark blue. They usually have a length of about three quarters. Most of them are made of durable cotton material with triple stitches. Carhartt also produces trousers and overalls in colors matching jackets. Carhartt jackets are usually not sized for tall or very thin men and are designed for men of medium build ^{[3] [4] [3] [5]} .

In the fall season of 2007, the company first launched a line of work clothes for women ^[7] .

Collaboration

In 2013, company collaboration included: Adam Kimmel x Carhartt, APC x Carhartt. Both collections were fashion designers Adam Kimmel and Jean Tuitu ^{[8] [9]} .

Beer

Carhartt launched its own craft beer , The Carhartt Woodsman, in collaboration with the New Holland Brewing Michigan brewery ^[10] .

German designers Edwin and Salome Fey, specializing in denim products, became Carhartt representatives in Europe after their visit to the United States in 1989 , on the centenary of the company. They started by selling standard Carhartt workwear. A few years later they received a license to create their own clothing line by the Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP) brand ^[11] . WIP is a Streetvir version of Carhartt clothing, often seen alongside brands such as Stüssy or Supreme .

Carhartt WIP often collaborates with other street clothing labels. An example is the collaboration of A Bathing Ape and Carhartt WIP when creating camouflage hoodies and jackets ^[12] . The company also produced clothing in conjunction with APC , Comme des Garçons , Vetements , ^[13] Junea Watanabe Pontus Alv's Polar Skate Co ^[14] . The strategy of the founders of WIP: "immerse yourself in the subcultures that interest them and use the marketing strategies that exist in them." Among the selected subcultures were: spray art , fanzines , skateboarding , Hip-hop ^[11] .

Carhartt WIP has several stores in Europe (including Berlin , London and Barcelona ), in Asia, Australia and the USA ( New York ) ^[15] .

During the riots in England in August 2011 , the Carhartt WIP outlet store in northern London, Hackney was ransacked by vandals, the damage amounted to thousands of pounds of stolen goods. In memory of this, the brand released a T-shirt with a photo of a looted store printed on it ^[13] .

Carhartt still maintains the status of a private company, managed by the descendants of its founder, Hamilton Carhart.

Recently, Carhartt owns and operates several factories and distribution centers in the United States. Carhartt has a Union-Made in USA clothing line distributed by their retailers. The company has four factories in the USA. The firm also strives to support local manufacturers. In 2015, Carhartt acquired nineteen and a half million pounds of cotton from Georgia , thirty-two million buttons from Kentucky. ^[6]

Due to the need for company refinancing and fierce competition between manufacturers from the “third world” countries, the need to reduce product prices, the production of many off-center products Carhartt was transferred abroad. Among the producing countries: China and Mexico . Carhartt requires international manufacturers to comply with the international WRAP certificate.

As of 2003 , Carhartt operated four factories in two Mexican states, employing approximately 2,000 workers. In 1997, the company built a plantation in Penhamo , Guanajuato , Mexico . In December 2001, in Irapuato, the company opened a second plantation thirty miles (about 50 km) from the first. In 2003, Carhartt acquired two additional plants in the Mexican state of Durango , all of the company's facilities in Mexico meet WRAP standards.

A subsidiary of Carhartt EMEA ( Europe , Middle East and Africa ) was founded in 2006 to supply work clothing to the European market.

Carhartt sells its products through many retailers, but refuses to supply clothing to discount stores such as the American K-Mart to protect its own brand ^[3] . The most important clients include large regional farms ^[16] . Carhartt independently manages its stores in the United States. A funny fact is that instead of traditionally cutting the red ribbon at the opening of a new store, a wall covering the entrance to the store is broken with a sledgehammer at Carhartt ^[17] . The company also operates a flagship store in downtown Detroit ^[6] .

Carhartt develops all his advertising campaigns on his own, which is rare for a company of this scale. Company ads usually appear on sites related to manual work. In the past, Carhartt advertised in magazines such as Popular Mechanics and American Cowboy with slogans like, "As strong as men wearing them." Recently, the company updated its style and, in partnership with American actor Jason Momoa, created an advertisement for surfing or hunting as a family tradition, in another video a woman prepared donuts with suspenders from the company ^[6] .

In Canada, Mark's Work Wearhouse is the main retailer.

• Independent record label Tommy Boy Records used Carhartt jackets in their commercials. Tommy Boy handed out 800 of these jackets to “testers and people they met in the right places.” This experience was so successful that the label began to engage in clothing in the future. Carhartt is currently popular with rappers. On the New York hip-hop scene, artists often see brand mustard and swamp jackets ^[3] . Famous rappers like Tupac and Dr. Dre wore Carhartt. Carhartt jackets and their evolution into fashion was exhibited at the Bronx Museum of Art at an exhibition entitled “One Planet Under a Groove: Hip-Hop and Contemporary Art” in 2002 ^{[18] [6]} .

• Carhartt has become part of the local culture in Alaska . Talkitna hosts the annual Carhartt Cup. Alaska State Fair hosts Carhartt shows. Carhartt contributed to the growth of the working class in Alaska at the end of the 20th century due to the growth of the oil industry in the region. Local sales representative Doug Tweedy carefully developed and maintained relationships with local (non-chain) stores that dominate the relatively isolated state market. In Alaska, per capita sales of Carhartt products were higher in 2001 than anywhere else in the world ^[6] .

• The main characters in the movie Interstellar wore Carhartt jackets. Overall, Carhartt products were on the screen for about an hour ^{[19] [5]} .

• In an interview with Deezer, Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots was in a beret from Carhartt ^[20]

• Liam Neeson wore a Carhartt jacket in the movie Before and After . ^[sixteen]

• In the 1995 film " Cases in New Jersey " directed by Nick Gomez, Carhartt jackets are often flickered on the screen ^[16] .

• The main character on the Marvel Luke Cage television series on Netflix is often wearing Carhartt clothing throughout the series. His signature “bulletproof sweatshirt” is printed on Carhartt’s hoodies ^[21] .

• Carhartt is popular with American politicians trying to attract the blue-collar voices. For example, Sarah Palin , Rick Perry, and Barack Obama were spotted wearing clothes from Carhartt ^[6] .

In the US, Carhartt sponsors work organizations and events such as America 's Future Farmers and Rodeos . The company is also a supporter of organized labor ^[5] . Carhartt sponsors continuing education courses such as Helmets to Hardhats. Carhartt is also one of the main sponsors of the Detroit Jazz Festival. ^[6]

During the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York, Carhartt donated thousands of overalls to the people involved in the rescue operation.

• - official Carhartt website
• Carhartt europe
• Carhartt "Work in Progress"
• Carhartt streetwear
• Carhartt history