I went to get new Levi’s last weekend, and the place I get them wasn’t carrying them anymore but had shelves of Carhartt jeans, and racks and racks of Carhartt jackets/shirts/pants.
So, I bought a couple pairs of Carhartt jeans. That night we were out on the town and I mentioned I got some news jeans that were Carharrt, and the one lady was kind of all over it, like she knew the brand.
Then I realized, I’ve kind of started noticing the hipster set sporting a little Carharrt gear. I always thought that it was probably a hipster that also worked construction during the day, but now I’m not so sure.
What’s going on here?
Anyone else noticing this?
Carhartt has always been the workin’ man’s outfit. I got a sweatshirt about 5 years ago that is still awesome, and a wool hat that’s also really nice. No stretch, warm and soft.
BTW, when I got the jeans I put 15 minutes on the parking meter. When we got back to the car, there were still 6 minutes left. My wife, and her friends, were sincerely astounded that I bought 2 pairs of jeans in 9 minutes. They were all like, “that’s an all-day process, not 9 minutes”.
Here in England, I’d say Carhartt is considered a “cool” brand… or at least, plenty of people pay well over the odds for a plain-looking sweater or T-shirt just 'cos it has a big Carhartt logo on it (viz Bench, Abercrombie etc). I certainly wouldn’t expect to see a “working man” wearing Carhartt, or at least not blatantly so.
Carhartt has been cool for years for those who are “in the know.” You may also have noticed Ben Davis everywhere as well, which is another “working man’s” line of clothing.
Well, that’s all us old fart working stiffs need, is to become cool. All of a sudden, our work clothes are going to cost three times what they should and not last as long.
Carhartt is (or, at this point, maybe was) the best outdoor clothing company around. Many of us who do agricultural or other outdoor work have relied on their stuff. It’s well-made, durable, washable, and affordable.
Now that it’s become trendoid, the prices are going to skyrocket (if they haven’t already) and the quality’s gonna take a nose-dive. That’s what usually happens when something that was good but un-chic becomes sought after as a fashion statement.
Now I’m kind of bummed. Where am I going to get good outdoor clothing now?
Forever here, Carharrt was just what guys on road crews, constructions sites, etc. wore.
I missed it catching on as cool, but now that I think about it, this trust-fund baby in my neighborhood has a Carharrt jacket that he’s been wearing for a while.
The concern, like others said, is a price explosion and a quality implosion.
Carhartts are cool? Well, my dad could tell you that. He was a bricklayer and he’s always worn Carhartts as work clothing. When my daughter was a toddler, he was so happy to find that they made Carhartt overalls in baby sizes, and he bought her a pair. He’d beam with pride whenever he saw her wearing them, too. And, those things were tough! They’d outlast ten pairs of Oshkosh B’gosh.
I can imagine liking Carhartts for durability, and even for the look/styling/etc., but specifically showing off the Carhartt label…well…it just seems a bit odd.
No need to panic yet, geezers. If it’s been “cool” for ten years (at least, I bought my jacket in '95) and the quality hasn’t changed, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
It seems to be as surprising to some of us, as it is obvious to others.
It only really just dawned on me.
BTW, I really like the jeans. I’ve worn the one pair M, T,W TH with one washing. Just good, plain jeans. The guy at the store told me they were durable. I’ll get back to you on that in a couple years.
I never saw Carhartts in L.A. Up here in the PNW, everybody wears them.
Amusing Carhartt anecdote. I’ve heard that their motto is ‘Tough as the men who wear them’. I was diving off of Nanaimo last May (I think it was). The water was in the low-to-mid-40°Fs, and one of the divers forgot his hood. Heck, I needed a hood on a deep dive in La Jolla! No way I’d dive up here without one.
Well, one of the guys had a Carhartt tuque. The forgetful diver put that on and plunged into the frigid water. Someone took a photo of him at about 90 feet down. Anyway, I think he should send the photo to Carhartt – with their motto as the caption.
Well, considering that Dr. Martens, Dickies, and Ben Davis have all made the jump from workwear to hipsterwear I am not surprised that Carhartt is following suit.
Carhartt’s been “cool” around here for 10-15 years, so by all rights, they should be “uncool” now. They don’t seem to have suffered any quality loss. I certainly haven’t managed to kill any of their pants.
Great. Now Carharrt is becoming “pop” cool.
There was a website for the non-work gear but I can’t find it anymore. You can still find out about their skateboarding sponsorship though in places.
