How Carhartt Became A Streetwear Brand 

Just so everyone knows, Carhartt WIP is essentially a completely separate company. They’re based out of Europe, and the Carhartt name is licensed. Carhartt has little to no input/control when it comes to the WIP label.

Here in the Midwest people wear carhartt for everything and my own carhartt clothes have great quality. Long lasting tough fabric is still their selling point. I didn’t even know they had an additional “fashion line” until I watched this video lol

Growing up in Europe in the skate scene, Carhartt and Dickies were both major players. Only later in life, when I moved to the States I found out they weren't just skate brands.

You missed alot of information about how carhartt wip started and that it's technically a separate company

I'm a carpenter so I wear a lot of Carhartt by default. I appreciate that over the past few years they are making more clothes that actually fit, that's probably a result of the street wear stuff. All of their clothes used to make me feel like a kid wearing my dad's giant pants. I wish they did more stuff sustainably I've looked at other options but I can't imagine abusing $ Patagonia $ pants like I do Carhartts or dickies

naw....Get Woke Go Broke! I buy Ridgeline now. Carhart should have stuck to making quality gear and not mandating medical procedures for their employees.

I have a bunch of Carhartt clothing and I love it. for 16years I worked outdoors on a daily basis and it always held up the best and kept me warm. I'd say they sold out if they stopped making clothing for their primary demographic, they they haven't. they just expanded their catalog to include more fashion and urban focused or hiking items, but if you're a blue collar worker who still needs overalls and a Detroit style work coat, Carhartt is still making some of the best in the business.

I like how in the comments section I can see they are two demographics. Streetwear enthusiasts and workwear folks. Never thought both of them would meet in the comments section and have a somewhat civil discussion.

Almost the exact same video could be made for Timberland. The connection those brands have to street fashion is a little more interesting than this video let’s on. Street level drug dealers tended to be working class people that have also worked in warehouses and construction. Drug dealing involves hanging out on the street in the elements and it doesn’t hurt to look like a normal person on their way to or from work. Why not wear the clothes from that construction job you got laid off from last month. Then the rappers wanted to dress like the drug dealers for the gangster street cred. Then the middle class white teenagers that make up the actual majority of rap consumers want to look like the rappers. And that’s how you get consumerism disguise as antiestablishment. Get your $75 Che Guevara shirt here. (I know $75 Che Guevara shirts aren’t really a thing anymore but you know there is still an equivalent. I’m just too out of touch to know what it is.) Also, as someone that has worn Carhartt in a heavy industrial environment going back 20 years I give them a meh 20 years ago and a resounding meh now.

it would be much better if you carefully showed how much the quality of work clothes has changed. in fact, this is the only thing that is really important to understand, but after this video, I still don’t know for sure

I love my Carhartt stuff for three reasons. Quality, quality, ....and oddly the weird colors that they have, that make them unique, lol. But in the end, quality fabrics are what sells the brand, and I hope they don't ever change that. Know nothing about their WIP brand, and quite frankly, don't care. I actually like that Carhartt does not let themselves be pigeon-holed into these different classes of buyers, like the rest of the industry. We all are people. They go against the mold and it is working for them, and for us, the consumer. And for the planet overall.

Carhartt reducing their quality is more of them selling out then Carhartt WIP existing. I don’t understand all the hate on streetwear…

I've moved onto Duluth Trading company. Carhartt has become too fashion-y and expensive. Duluth is expensive too but the build quality is way better.

Carhart is a brand near and dear to my heart but I do think that they have gone more than just a little off the tracks with all of the randomly branded products ☹️ I hope we get better

My dad has been a self employed mechanic for the last 30+ years and he always had a Carhartt bomber jacket…three of them actually. His newest one was his “formal” jacket that he’d wear when he took my mom and all us kids out to Swiss Chalet for dinner. The lightly used one would be worn for outdoor chores around the house. Finally the ragged and ripped one would be worn for laying in the snow to cut leaf spring shackles off a rusted out shit box using an oxy-acetylene torch. Growing up, a Carhartt jacket wasn’t something you bought yourself on a whim, it had to be earned. Anyone I saw wearing one automatically earned my respect, because I knew they had a dirty, tiring job in the trades.

As a logger and a farmer I need to reply on my work clothes and carhartt has let me down so many times now it's really a shame.

My grandpa wears Carhartt because he likes how it feels and it works for what he wants it to do. Where I grew up in Indiana, it's more for its purpose, than its fashion. He was a farmer for a long while, then dug wells for 15-ish years. Lots of time outside in the elements. He had a coat my whole childhood and into my adulthood, might even still have it, but replaced it a few years back when we got him a new one for Christmas.

Same with Dickies. In Europe it's known as streetwear mostly worn by skaters but in in the United States it's still work gear.

In HS and my 20's, when I was still hanging out with Skaters and Garage Band musicians (some to go on to professional careers in the latter), I never saw ANY Carhartt....it was all Dickies. That was the 90's and early 2000's. It's only recently that I seem to notice this brand at all.

As a Midwest guy (Minnesota to be exact) EVERYONE wears Carhartt. I'm currently wear a Carhartt T-shirt as I type this. The quality of the clothing is great and everything I own from them has lasted me years.

That's so wild; I never knew they had a fashion line, either until now. Growing up in Alaska, especially a fishing town, Carhartt has always been the first choice regarding work wear. Although in recent years, I have noticed them come out with brighter clothes that people are naturally drawn to wear as fashion rather than as work wear. I recently bought an up-cycled Carhartt hoodie from an artist online that recycles old Carhartt to make new articles of clothing with what she can salvage. It is definitely more for streetwear than working in, but I love how unique it is compared to anything else I could get from Carhartt. Also, we have a contest/fashion show for Carhartt, but that only occurs in some communities of Alaska.

I got some Carhartt pants at a per pound thrift store that were covered in mud. All the mud came out and now they are some of my favorite pants. They look great and they are durable af

Hey… Carhartt WIP is a different company. They just licensed the name. They are not connected beyond that… like 10min of research shows that. Try harder… like half the stuff In here is not accurate.

I work outdoors year round and have Carhartt pants, jackets and boots. They make fantastic sturdy things. LOVE them.

i literally found a carhartt hoodie at goodwill for super cheap and it is honestly THE best hoodie i've ever owned 🙌

I'm a Montana native and a Carhartt lover for the simple fact there workwear is well made and cheap. For the homeless or down on there luck middle class people who work outside in the freezing winter conditions Carhartt is cherished up here in the Rockies and to hear a city slicker who's never had to depend on his work wear it erks me that they crap on this awesome brand. They care about the hardworking people and they have my support . Volunteering at the homeless shelter in Kalispell Montana people buy and donate brand new Carhartt winter bibs, jackets, coats and everything in between. And when I see people who need them receive a Carhartt I see there faces light up and smile because they know they've received something truly special that keeps them warm and protects them it makes you feel passionate about that Carhartt brand.

It's the best of both worlds because I can use my work shirt as drip too 🤣 love my insulated Carhartt jacket and work shirts but I know for sure some people wear Carhartt for the name especially those damn beanies!

Been in construction for 16 years it used to be all I wore on the job. Now their workwear is cheap poorly made trash. The last work pants I bought lasted 3 months. I have a pair that’s probably 7-8 years old that still held up.

I've never been so fast to click a channel's videos when they go live. But y'all are something truly special 🥰 thank you for the work y'all put into this, I'ma have to check out the second channel you two do!

Thanks for the video! That’s a really good takeaway. I agree, you can’t pretend to be sustainable or climate/socially conscious whilst also encouraging mindless consumerism and potentially taking advantage of workers elsewhere.

Not disagreeing about the perils of mindless allegiance to a company.. BUT the mocha pot looks incredible. I'm a carpenter's apprentice and last year I used to make single servings of coffee on site with a camp stove to boil water to pour over a little plastic coffee maker. With more coworkers this year (and not being able to find where I placed the little coffee rig) I've been looking for something that is durable enough to withstand a jobsite / work van yet practical enough to lug around. Carhartt making coffee accessories is most certainly on brand, in my opinion.

I saw the Carhartt label on a person in the city and thought that it was Cruchyroll. Never heard of Carhartt before, having lived for half a century in Europe.

Under a purely capitalist system, doing anything for more money is the responsible thing to do. Screw that noise. A business doesn't have to become all consuming to be "successful". The idea that a business has to always be growing is toxic and impossible. There are only so many humans to buy the goods after all. In fact, I don't even think that a business closing after their customer base goes away is a bad thing. What is important is having a metric to measure by that isn't based purely on "numbers go up" because numbers can't go up forever.

I was wondering where Carhartt came from; I thought it was a fairly new brand that had a meteoric rise seemingly out of nowhere, butt learning about their history makes a lot more sense

There is one major reason why i mostly have Carhartt t-shirts: they realised that an XXL also should be longer, not just wider than an XL. As a 2 m tall guy, that's a very important point...

Awesome video, one of my favorite channels at the moment!

I bought a 150.00 pair ofcarhhart boots they wore out in a month. Just fell apart.you can get better boots at Walmart surprisingly true

From the UK, but my dad always got Carhartt stuff in the for reasons mentioned, he moved to America very briefly in his childhood and think that’s when he got hooked, said he liked it for BMX as the quality was so good. One thing I find so ridiculous with Carhartt surging in popularity with street wear is people selling ‘reworked’ vintage workwear stuff, saw a vintage shop selling some jeans which were, ripped to pieces and covered In Paint for…. £60?!

Love the channel! I would love to see you do a series on transportation (sustainability of driving - cars, bike infrastructure, city planning and walkability of cities vs suburbs)

Carhartt is all I have ever worn for almost 2 decades and now I work for Carhartt.

Myself, my family and everyone I know will never buy Carhartt again. I will also spread the word to everyone else as well. I’m sick of this urban bullshit.

Carhartt WIP and Carhartt Workwear are 2 different companies. WIP is the product of a licence granted to a Swiss company in the late 80’s. That’s why you have thinks like margarita glasses and Bluetooth speakers… these are all WIP. The Guineas and Batman colabs were workwear.

Growing up in Midwest farm country with a dad who did a lot of heavyduty outdoor work, carhartt was always something that felt reliable, durable, and nostalgic. Dad wore his carhartt gear every day until it couldn't be worn anymore; at least one of them was over 20 years old before he passed in 2015. I moved into downtown Chicago in 2017 for art school, and I was surprised and a little weirded out by all the people wearing carhartt just... as fashion. Dad and mom had criticized the rich using 'new worn' clothes for fashion, but where I grew up I never really saw it outside magazines. I'll always associate carhartt with the comfort of those days, wearing dad's big heavy carhartt work coat like a blanket when it was cold and he'd sacrificed it so i could be a little warmer.

Their boots are very bad quality. Just watch Rose Anvil.

I wear Carhartt shorts to work everyday and they hold up about a year to 1 1/2 and I have a arctic wear jacket that close to 30 years old.

My family owns and runs a ranch and Carhartt is my go too especially when winter comes it’s durable warm and it feels good, I didn’t even know they had a fashion line but where we live it’s still a extremely well made and durable brand that hasn’t let me down yet in the toughest of conditions.

I didn't know about this brand until I showed my brother my bf's "work polo". He said "woah. That's a carhartt brand! People in here go crazy about that, they pay thousands of pesos for that." I was so stocked. Lol. The fact that my bf used that polo everyday in his former workplace is funny. He used to work in an oil rig. He said the polo is a fireproof. Hehehe. And yes, it's huge on me. Like a baby wearing his dad's tux. 😂

Next video; why I won't buy Carhartt ever again. People forget too fast

I love the Carhartt WIP pants for skating because they hold up quite well, but unlike their competitor Dickies, the WIP pants come in organic cotton. Durability is important for both skating and sustainability, but if I can get durability with more sustainable fabrics, that’s a big win in my book.

I always say I can tell if someone is an outdoor person by the way they wear there carhartt beanie and I will always stand by that statement

Very weak video, Carhartt and Carhartt WIP aren’t the same company at all. The second one just use the name of the first one (under license sure, but the original american company has no say on WIP)

7:07 How do you say "co-lab" multiple times in the video and pronounce it so weird, but pronounce it correctly when you say "collaboration" like at 7:17. Lol. You pronounce a few words really strangely in this video.

For the Tommy Boy jacket I guess you can say it’s the “first one” but not necessarily. Nobody actually coined the term “Streetwear” back then but regardless Tommy Boy was just a record company. I’d give that title to Stussy cause they were an actual brand. Shawn Stussy designed the front I believe and after working on this he would constantly make unofficial custom embroidered carhartt pieces back in the day. Tommy Boy didn’t become an actual clothing entity until after the success of the jacket.

Carhartt has been the only brand that's been durable for me I've went through so many shirts, boots, and gloves at least with Carhartt I get a fair bit of use out of it

Carharrt WIP is bad quality, design in Europe, made in Vietnam or Bangladesh, its totaly sucks !

In the UK I don’t remember it ever being a workwear brand always streetwear… Because nobody works here but everyone sells drugs.

I had a date who works in the bush and hates the cold. All of his stuffs are Carhartt and that makes me curious about their quality. So one day I bit the bullet and bought their iconic hoodie in a lilac color at their full price 🤯 and I wasn't disappointed. That hoodie was my comfort clothing that I wore the entire fall to winter. Workwear quality x Streetwear design is a sweet collaboration.

The result of quality - best backpack I’ve ever had and the only dog collar that looks brand new despite water, sun, and mud.

Carhartt became "work leisure" ware

Fellow Alaskan here - you’re officially invited to our fashion show 😎

As much as I love my Carhartt gear, I’d argue that Patagonia’s workwear offerings are better quality overall. Paying a premium for good quality garments that will stand the test of time will always be worth it in my opinion.

I have never heard of this brand ever! First time im hearing about it. Good video as always!

This reminds me of Adidas vs Adidas originals. Athletic gear vs street wear.

I decorate apparel(screen print, embroidery, dtf) & carhartt is a popular choice for small businesses for the reasons you listed. It’s frustrating though because the blanks have been sold out for months, saving this to help explain to clients.

I live on the East Coast, used to get Carhartt all the time as a construction worker, the heavy fabric was the reason...fast forward, these bit#@es def. Traded their souls to make a profit, now their work wear is as crappy as their street wear, I've gone back to DICKIES I'll never buy Carhartt again, spent thousands on Carhartt over 10-15 years, now, I'm not even disappointed, I'm disgusted. They followed the "new thing" instead of looking out for the people that helped build them ...the working man/woman.

5:02 hehe. Those city born and bred folks dont realize that "Tractor Supply Co" is just the actual name of a real store lol

you forgot the carhartt chevy silverado special edition. A carhartt truck!

Over in Europe you can only buy carhartt wip which is their street wear, not a lot of people know it's work ware over here and it's near impossible to find it for an okay price.

Blue collar stolen valor.

Kinda like when Dickie's became "cool".

My mother almost only watches Rom-Coms and can confirm they are either full work gear in the city or full suit and dress shoes in a field.

It’s only been 11 months since carhartt went woke with the clot shot mandates. How quickly people forget. Carhartt is a brand for hipsters only!

That’s not how carhartt wip started, and they are a different company. Carhartt has nothing to do with the design of wip so that part where you said they focus more on that is false

My work clothes are all Catharrt. My nice clothes are new Carharrts. I buy em cos they are heavy duty and affordable.

Carhartt WIP is not run by Carhartt main. Which makes a lot of your conclusions here not really... accurate.

In 1989 i started buying Carhartt, in the States, to sell in Scotland. I made some good money for a few years doing that. Skaters and Hip Hip/ Raver folks.

John Fetterman has brought the dad outfit mainstream

First time I ever heard about it is here.

Actual Carhartt Retail Employee weighing in! WIP is it's own separate entity from the OG Carhartt. They definitely are leaning to advertise to the younger generations too (BC capitalism) but they always have their blue-collar workers in mind. They (IMO) are more respectable than other big brands in how they do treat their employees with actually decent wages, employee discounts, diversity/inclusivity, and how they responded to COVID. Sidenote but this is the first I've heard of the bluetooth speaker with Carhartt on it and the margarita glasses. That screams WIP because that would never fly for the OG Carhartt. That really is Late-Stage Capitalism at it's finest.

i have a carhartt wallet that has lasted me 6 years so far. it's solid, has plenty card slots, 2 bill folds, and the stitching has yet to break at all.

The only time I used to see Carhartt that wasnt used for working were the jackets...which is understandable Butttttt recently I've recently found out ppl are just wearing just to wear it. Imagine buying a 50 dollar shirt just to wear it 🤣

So they got on board the climate grift.. smdh

I've recently started buying carhartt gear and it's some of the best quality clobber I've graced my skin with. Well worth the money.

Carhartts are great for guys. Their women's line of pants and jeans aren't made to the same quality. I quickly noticed this when I had to mend mine, and hem my husband's. His were made from thicker, more durable fabric, and the seams around the pockets seemed better made. Why the difference? Women need quality work clothes too.

I have Carhartt WIP Salford and Grand Pants, I have the WIP Short Sleeve Shirts They are made of Fine and Durable Materials They are Rugged, Attractive and very versatile I can wear them to work and look a bit over dressed than other Truck Drivers I can wear them Casually The Original Carhartt still makes very good work wear Its just me who decided to spend couple of extra bucks to stand out with WIP

Carhartt - the work wear sought after by people who have never gotten dirty working for a living..The iron mine I work at,, the guys used to wear a lot of Carhartt but as the quality fell and the prices climbed, I noticed that Carhartt gear disappeared and Dickies became popular. The clothes weren't much better (and they are now slacking at Dickies tosave on costs), but they were cheap enough to replace a couple times for the same cost as the Carhartts. Like Levi jeans, a former great work jean is now a paper thin, office boy outfit that no longer resembles what they were founded on.

You know what would be a great corollary to this video would be a look at the Xtra-Tuf boot brand. They are a brand of mud/rain boots that are starting to offer trendier options, especially here in Alaska where they're hugely popular with both outdoors people and hipsters alike.

In the late 90s, Carhartt was one of the most popular brands in the hip-hop-related Culture in Germany.

They should read The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing. Classic destroying a brand tomorrow for profit today. Loyal fans will stay with you. Fickle fashion will drop you tomorrow. Companies would give anything for the brand loyalty Carhartt has.

This is like the whitest brand in the heartland

Saw some right wing tv show pundits whine about the Carhartt response to covid, remarking that Carhartt doesn't sell in New York and that they'd better know who their customer base is. Seems a lot of people in the Midwest don't know about Carhartt's popularity in urban culture. There are two categories of New Yorker among whom Carhartt is still extremely popular - the manual workers (engineers, construction, etc) and the hipsters. You pass by people wearing it as often as any other major brand. WIP btw is based in London, as Carhartt became popular there at the same time it became popular in the rap urban culture in the US. It's essentially a different brand altogether.

Classic case of driving away your main audience, the people that brought you up for some random new fans

My entire wardrobe is basically all Carhartt. It's high quality and the logo is known for being more on the expensive side. You dont see many broke people wearing Carhartt. I like the workwear look to my everyday cloths but I also wear it for work. I'll probably always wear Carhartt unless they change the quality. They need more lightweight shirts. Most are heavyweight and not great in summer. They make some middleweight shirts and they are great.

Not covering the huge segment of blue collar workers who boycotted and burned this brands clothing after the vax mandates seems like a HUGE shortfall on covering this

Carhartt has not sold their soul. They’ve only expanded it.

As a guy from a small rural town who wears Carhartt...I never even knew Carhartt had all this other stuff.

I wear a lot of Carhartt by default because I live in Iowa and work outside a good bit. I actually had no idea that Carhartt WIP was a thing. Makes sense though.

This is weird.I legit bought a pair of Carhartt pants for work. They're actually pretty good!

Honestly I remember when those carhartt beanies where the rage like 2 or 3 years ago they were a bestseller at Amazon and I didn't get why they were so popular trends i guess.

El tono de voz y como mueve las manos esta persona que está hablando es lo que realmente es digno de análisis.