The Carhartt ancestors founded the company in 1889 with the motto of "Honest value for an honest dollar." The company started with merely five people and two sewing machines. Now the Carhartt bloodline has taken the Carhartt name to the top of the workwear manufacturers' list. The journey was not smooth, but Carhartt finally achieved its position as a top workwear brand in the USA with hard work and honest work.
The history
Carhartt emerged in the market to manufacture clothes for the hardworking class of America. The very first expansion by Carhartt in the 1890s was in the field of railroads. The railroad workers needed sturdy clothes, and Carhartt fulfilled their need with the iconic Work Bibs Overall that was sturdy and suitable for the harsh work environment. The durability, cutting-edge designs, and excellent comfort level became the trademark of Carhartt’s products. The strong buttonholes became the unique selling point for the company. These qualities of Carhartt workwear appealed to the US government, and the authorities hired chose the brand as a supplier of US army uniforms in World War I.
In the short span of 20 years, the brand expanded its operation from Michigan to eight other cities in the US. Soon after establishing its name as a top US workwear brand, Carhartt moved forward to reach significant locations in Canada and the UK to make its mark as a global workwear manufacturer.
The survival from the downturn
As with any other venture, Carhartt also experienced ups and downs. At the beginning of the 1900s, Carhartt became very successful. The brand ventured into a project in 1911 to manufacture workwear for the automobile industry. However, the experiment was a persistent failure, but the brand managed to maintain its hard-earned reputation. The contract with the military was assumed to be a massive step toward revenue and success, but somehow it didn’t pan out as expected. The experiment was less profitable than initially estimated.
The short span of the Great Depression was a huge pitfall for the company as it lost massive revenue due to reduced sales. However, with its usual enthusiasm, Carhartt regained its footing in World War II. A high point that served as a savior for the brand was the classic chore coat. The coat was introduced in 1923 and gained remarkable success. Carhartt claims that the design remained virtually the same to this day. Eventually, Hamilton Carhartt, the founder, lived to witness the company surviving the downturn. When he passed away in 1937, he knew that he is leaving a legacy of coveralls, coats, vests, jeans, and jackets that will make homes in the hearts of American workers.
Creating the Legacy
Once Carhartt has survived the Great Depression, the company continued its upsurge toward reputation and success as a workwear brand. With significant involvement with projects like the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the brand continued to achieve milestones, one after another. Carhartt’s purchased its first “modern” production facility and began to produce larger orders. The company also began to launch its private label products that reached the shelves of reputed departments, including Montgomery, Sears, J. C. Penny, and Ward. By then, Carhartt’s has moved its garment manufacturing beyond borders, but the brand remained intensely committed to the American market and labor force. The company kept most of its manufacturing in the US. By the late 1990s, Carhartt has evolved to make its name a global brand by opening its facilities in places like Mexico to maintain its competitive edge in the industry. Over the years, Carhartt brought a wide range of innovations in its manufacturing process. Clothing items evolved with heavy-duty thread for more strength. The brand used technology to reinforce rivets at the stress points for flexibility and durability. The brand brought innovative fabrics for its workwear to make workwear resistant to abrasion, flame, and other workplace hazards.
The step-by-step growth
Carhartt began with two sewing machines and five workers. By 1990, the company's total sales were touching 92 million US dollars. In 1992, Carhartt was generating massive revenue by selling over two million jackets every year. In 2013, Carhartt was earning 600 million dollars per year. Currently, Carhartt is causing a significant income of 1.92 million dollars per year. Carhartt has proved its slogan “mills to millions” by every means, going along all the ups and downs in the last decades.
Today, laborers from almost all American industries, including construction, farming, ranching, etc., prefer to wear cheap Carhartt shirts and work pants. The popularity of Carhartt workwear tells us that with the motto of honesty and effort, the brand has cemented its name as the top workwear brand in America.
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