While many companies can claim prestigious histories spanning over a hundred years, few in the workwear industry can claim what Carhartt does. Started in 1889, Carhartt is still a family-owned business, operated by the people who descend from the founder, Hamilton Carhartt.
The number of employees at Carhartt has increased, north of 4,000 at last count, but they still operate out of Dearborn, Michigan. For fans of workwear, those who wear it for function and those who wear it for fashion, this long-standing reputation is what drives them to purchase Carhartt brand clothing year after year.
When it comes to fighting tough winters (bomb cyclone anyone?) no brand on the market can compete with Carhartt’s variety of options and their near-130 years of excellence.
All Seasons Uniforms does business with only the best brands. Carhartt is one of them, defined by their product as much as their heritage.
To understand why fans of Carhartt separate it from the rest, whether we’re talking about bomb-cyclone-fighting winter outwear or otherwise, one has to understand the story of the brand, its heritage, and where it is today.
Heritage
When Hamilton Carhartt sought to manufacture clothing for manual laborers that would take a hard day’s work, he hatched his plan in Dearborn, Michigan just outside Detroit.
At that time, Detroit was a happening modern city of forward-thinking industrialists and tough-as-nails laborers. Dearborn was perfectly situated for Hamilton’s needs. When he first opened doors on his new business, he promised “honest value for an honest dollar.”
In 1889, Hamilton had four sewing machines and five employees. They started cranking out overalls made from duck and denim, build to meet trade union specifications.
The following decade, he expanded their production to meet the demands of railroad workers too. They also needed work wear, bibs specifically, which wouldn’t fall apart.
Carhartt won them over with quality.
After two decades in business, the Carhartt brand had expanded into eight cities internationally, including locations in the U.K. and Canada. To this day, Carhartt remains as strong a brand in those places as it does back home.
The Great Depression made for a small hiccup in business, but after the Second World War, the Carhartt brand was back on track.
Today
From five employees to 4,000, Carhartt spent the 20th-century building the brand’s reputation for quality, adopting new construction techniques along the way.
Dedicated Carhartt fans recognize the trademark features of heavy-duty threading, rivets where it counts, and Carhartt’s progressive use of flame-resistant materials.
Great-granddaughter to Hamilton Carhartt, Gretchen Valade owns the company today with her husband Robert, and it’s still very much a family-run business. Their son, Mark, is the CEO.
Whereas many brands leverage the exclusive made in the USA branding, Carhartt offers both options, workwear made in the USA and other items which they manufacture elsewhere.
They still have four huge factories in the USA, and much of their raw materials come from domestic suppliers, cotton farms in Georgia and Kentucky. Even with many of the items manufactured overseas, they are in part built from U.S. components.
Winter outwear from Carhart may keep you warm enough to sweat, but you can rest assured it was never manufactured in sweat factories or unfair work conditions, domestic or otherwise.
Wherever Carhartt has factories, the conditions must adhere to the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP) standards, which prohibit unfair work conditions, child labor, and other human right violations.
Fun Facts
In 1911, Carhartt had an Automobile Corporation which cranked out 300 pleasure cars. Their motto? “The last word in motor construction.” Perhaps that motto was a little hasty.
Somewhat ironically related to that fact, Hamilton Carhartt died in a car accident in 1937. It was not in a Carhartt pleasure car, though.
Although Hamilton Carhartt made the right move starting his business in Dearborn, he actually started life in New York, in Macedon Locks. That’s right. He was a New Yorker, but not a city boy. Macedon Locks is near Lake Ontario.
In 1997, responding to the emergent underground interest in the brand, Carhartt founded Skateboarding and BMX teams.
The underground interest in Carhartt arose from street cred earned when key figures in the hip-hop scene took an interest in the brand.
Skateboarding, BMX bikes, and hip-hop might not have been Hamilton’s original vision for the brand, but when one builds quality and others see it, they tend to want a piece.
Featured Products
What worked in 1889 still works today. The Carhartt line still includes products made with cotton duck and denim.
That said, if you own a piece of Carhartt clothing from the 19th century, you might want to take it on the Antique Roadshow. You’re probably going to be a millionaire or billionaire.
Hamilton Carhartt may have started with bib overalls, and many still buy only Carhartt overalls for their iron reputation, other garments have risen to meet the brand’s demands too.
Devotees to Carhartt like the brand for its heavy-duty work jackets too. They not only stand up to tough activities, mining and hunting among the list, they come in muted colors.
Whether we’re talking bibs or jackets, the often-copied Carhartt standard is a 12-ounce cotton canvas, reinforced with triple-stitched seams.
Winter Outwear
So, about staying warm… Here are three Carhartt jackets which will keep you warm inside and out, protected from the worst winter can dish out under Carhartt’s century of experience.
Sandstone Duck Active Jac-Quilted Flannel Lined
Available in seven colors, this 12-ounce 100 percent cotton sandstone duck jacket is as tough as it is pliable.
The interior of this jacket is quilted in flannel from the body into the hood, so every part of it that may touch your skin feels like crashing on Grandma’s featherbed after a warm home-cooked dinner.
This jacket has two massive inside pockets, and two lower front pockets so you’ll have plenty of room for phones, gloves, whatever. It also offers rib-knitted cuffs and waistband so the cold stays out and the warmth stays in.
Arctic Traditional Jacket-Quilt Lined
Nothing says classic Carhartt better than this jacket labeled after the coldest place on the planet, the Arctic.
It features the standard 12-ounce duck, but this one is more traditional with a 100 percent ring-spun cotton. The arctic-weight polyester insulation is what makes this jacket impenetrable.
Like the jacket before it, it comes with four big pockets, two in and two out, but the sleeves and waistband on this one are not cuffed.
To make this tough jacket easier to move around in, the back has a split back with pleated bi-swing for enhanced movement and the sleeves come with pleated elbows.
Sandstone Duck Ridge Coat-Sherpa Lined
For diehard Carhartt fans, this jacket may seem too fitted, but what an oversight. This design has so much to offer.
In fairness, most Carhartt jackets, like the Arctic jacket, tend to accommodate folks who prefer a loose fit. This one isn’t tight like an Italian suit is tight, but it’s a little more shaped for a Carhartt. It looks as good as it functions.
Available in four colors, the sherpa-lined ridge coat features the same 12-ounce standard duck exterior. There’s just no reason to fix an idea that wasn’t broken when Hamilton Carhartt first perfected it.
The lining of this jacket takes comfort to slightly cozier level with sherpa lining in the body. The collar of this jacket has hidden snaps if you want to add a hood to it for those cyclone conditions.
It’s cuffed, but the cuffs sit inside the sleeve so you can’t see them from the outside. Inside you’ll find two pockets, and outside you’ll find two more.
Just like the Arctic jacket, this one offers the split back and pleated sleeves for movement. It’s a fine jacket for the price.
The Carhartt brand has come so far, one had to wonder what old Hamilton would say if he were still alive today.
He’d have to appreciate that the brand is still in Dearborn, despite the changes to Detroit.
He would also have to appreciate that it’s one of the most venerable names in workwear, the brand folks turn to when only long-standing experience will beat the cold outside.
You’ll appreciate those things too.
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.