Carhartt History

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The Company Description of Its Time

Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium work wear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged apparel for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, with more than 3,500 employees worldwide, Carhartt is privately owned and managed by the descendants of the company's founder, Hamilton Carhartt. The founder's own standard opens the historical profile, and it opens this one: 'I believe that when a man wears an article that I manufacture, his self-respect is increased because he knows that it is made by an honest manufacturer, who is honest with his employees' - Hamilton Carhartt.

Hamilton Carhartt and the Railroad Overall

Hamilton Carhartt was born in 1855 in Macedon Lock, New York, grew up in Southern Michigan, and his entrepreneurial style was reflected in the modifying of his last name by adding an extra 't' to ensure he would stand out from other businessmen. He initially established a furnishing business, and with helpful advice from his first potential buyer he realised his products had to be different: after talking with a railroad engineer, he created an overall garment specifically for the railroad worker which had never been made before. Hamilton Carhartt founded his namesake company in 1889 and began making work wear with a single goal: set a standard of excellence to which all others would aspire.

Starting with only 4 sewing machines and about 5 employees, the first products manufactured were overalls in duck and denim fabrics; by traveling from town to town and visiting each railroad division, he established himself in the overall business. The company grew throughout the early 1900's, establishing over 17 plants and 3 mills throughout the United States, Canada and Europe - 'From the mill to millions' was their motto, reflected in operations that included cotton production, denim mills and apparel manufacturing, with Carhartt Master Cloth designed and woven especially by their mills. The Great Depression had a devastating effect, resulting in only 3 plants remaining in the U.S. after 1930; Hamilton and his son Wylie established the 'Back to the Land' campaign, leading to the joint opening of the Irvine, Kentucky operations with the townspeople of Irvine, where Carhartt's manufacturing administrative offices remain, in the historical record. Hamilton Carhartt passed away in 1937 at the age of 82.

The Modern Company, As Recorded

A later record is a facilities note, kept with its date: as the company continues to grow, so do its facilities, and in March 2009 the expansion of its distribution center in Madisonville, Kentucky would be complete - a 360,000 square foot expansion built using green materials when possible, FSC certified lumber, recycling of 50% of building material waste, optimised insulation, reduced water usage, an improved power management system and an energy efficient roof. The company's own site, its rental route through Cintas and its European site are all in the References.

The routes on this page carry the directory's own Carhartt structure: the men's, women's and children's Carhartt brand guides in the Clothes Guide, the uniform manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer areas the workwear trade uses, and the men's and women's uniform guides. Read beside Canada Goose in this letter, Carhartt is the workwear pole of the C filings - the brand that stayed with the active worker, in the company(?:'|')s mission phrase Best-In-Class apparel for the active worker, and remained in the founder's family's hands for four generations.

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