| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Workwear |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Headquarters | Dearborn, Michigan, USA |
| Website | carhartt.com |
Carhartt, Inc., is a U.S.-based clothing company founded in 1889. It is still a family-owned company, owned by the descendants of company founder Hamilton Carhartt, with its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
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In the United States, Carhartt is known for its work clothes[1], such as jackets, coats, overalls, coveralls, vests, shirts, jeans and dungarees.
Carhartt was originally founded to make work clothing for railroad workers. Their initial growth throughout the 1890s was focused on railroad workers' need for durable and long lasting work overalls. Over time, Carhartt clothing items evolved trademark features intended to further extend durability, including the use of heavy duty threads, reinforcing rivets at vital stress points, and a variety of durable, high technology materials resistant to flames, abrasion and water. Today Carhartt is commonly found on construction sites, farms and ranches, among other job sites.
In the 1990s, Carhartt clothing became fashionable in hip hop culture, and Tommy Boy Records used Carhartt jackets as a promotional tool. In that period, Carhartt jackets achieved popularity with crack dealers. "They needed to keep warm and they needed to carry a lot of stuff," said Steven J. Rapiel, the New York City salesman for Carhartt. "Then the kids saw these guys on the street, and it became the hip thing to wear."[2]. In 2007, the company launched a Carhartt for Women line of women's workwear for the Fall season.
In the United States, Carhartt sponsors blue-collar organizations and events such as 4-H, the National FFA Organization, rodeos and the #17 NASCAR race car driven by Matt Kenseth.
During the 9/11 World Trade Center rescue operations, the Carhartt company donated thousands of bib overalls to the rescue crew to be used on scene.
Due to competition from other apparel manufacturers and pressure to drive down prices, many of Carhartt's non-core apparel items have been increasingly outsourced abroad. Some countries where outsourcing is and has been done are: Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, China, and the Philippines.
In 1997, Carhartt built their first facility in Penjamo, Guanajauto, Mexico, and in December 2001 they opened a second plant about 30 miles away in the city of Irapuato, Guanajuato. In 2003, they purchased two additional facilities from the Labor Board of the state of Durango in an auction (these facilities had been owned by CHIC by HIS and had been abandoned). Carhartt now operates a total of 4 facilities in two Mexican states. Two sewing plants (with a cutting facility in Penjamo) are located in the central part of Mexico and a sewing/cutting facility along with a laundry/finishing/distribution center in Durango, Durango. They operate these plants with over 2,000 Mexican employees.
Carhartt's Mexican plants are "unionized" in the sense that they have a union registered on paper with the Mexican labor authorities but they run their operations like they were non-unionized plants. Carhartt continues to own and operate unionized cutting, sewing and distribution centers in the United States and Mexico, and offers a "Union-Made in USA" line of workwear through its retailers, but items like T-shirts, knit caps (and even some lower priced items such as chore coats) have been increasingly seen with labels from a foreign country, though most feature American-made fabrics and components. Carhartt has stated that its international suppliers must have Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production certification. All the Mexico plants were required to meet Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP) certification.
Carhartt EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) was formed in 2006 in order to provide workwear to the European market.
In Canada, the main retailer of Carhartt is Mark's Work Wearhouse (L'Équipeur in Québec).
Carhartt Streetwear is marketed as a more fashionable brand comparable to Stussy or Volcom. In Japan, it is a familiar streetbrand that often collaborates with other streetwear brands. An example would be the line of A Bathing Ape X Carhartt camouflage hoodies and jackets.
Carhartt Streetwear, which is produced under license of Work in Progress, supports affinity groups such as artists, musicians and skateboarders.
Manufacture of Carhartt Streetwear products is generally outsourced to Asian countries. Before 2000, most products were manufactured in the US by unionized labor.