10E2592: Carhartt | Southwestern Style

Recently re-connected with the resident Brand Archivist and Historian at Carhartt, Inc., Dave Moore, who is tasked with creating their physical archive from the materials at hand - as well as setting an agenda for collections and processes.  You can read my earlier interview of Moore here.

Many 10e readers share my fascination with this storied brand and its place in the workwear canon. I have noted before that Carhartt seemed a little late-to-the-party to formally organize an archive, so always interested to hear what is happening now and any academic principals that guided their decisions.

Ranch or 'western' wear made sense as an expansion of Carhartt's construction line and as customers were found south and west, the southwestern influence came back too. Here looking at the specific southwestern designs offered in the 1990s from Carhartt (sometimes called Aztec due to the geometrics reminiscence of South American art). These are pretty handily available on eBay (as noted below) - the rest of the images presented direct from the Carhartt archives.  Enjoy - and thanks again to Dave Moore again for the informative interview!

Image: Carhartt courier pull sheet. 1992.

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10engines: I am interested to see first examples (as well as the loudest and "best") of Carhartt's southwestern designs from the archive and catalogs.

Dave Moore: The first Southwest Carhartt products were made in 1991 - a blue denim and black denim jacket, with Southwest pattern linings.

DM: I would say that the award for the loudest is a dead heat between the Aztec Jacket and the Printed Chamois Shirt. 

 [via eBay]

 

 [via eBay]

 [via eBay]

10e: When did the range actually start?

DM: 1991, although these were Southwest linings only. 1992 was the first year that Southwest-style patterns began to appear on the exterior of the garments with the Southwest Look Sweatshirts (see above). The last year Southwest products were produced was 1995.

Aside from garments, we sold Blanket Southwest Look Caps in 1992 and 1993. They came in quite the variety - bills in different fabrics that were either unwashed, stone washed, or acid washed, and a ton of different patterns. When ordered by retailers, they came one dozen to a box with “assorted colors.”

[via eBay. Insanity - ed.]

[via eBay]

[via eBay]

DM: We also offered versions of some of our most iconic products with Southwest linings, including the Chore Coat, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary this year. This is a garment that has not seen a huge amount of experimentation in its blanket lining over the years, so the inclusion of the Southwest influence in the ‘90s is particularly of note.

10e: And these were an offshoot from western wear?

DM: 1992 was the first year that Carhartt made the garments that are most synonymous with our Southwest styling. Two of the products were, indeed, an evolution of Carhartt’s Ranch/Western Wear, which traces back to the 1960s.

DM: The Southwestern Style Jackets were billed in their product descriptions as having “Traditional Western styling”.

DM: Carhartt also produced a version of our classic Active Jac with Southwest styling. These garments were a bit more muted than 1994’s Aztec Jacket, as the Southwest pattern only appeared in a stripe across the chest. They were, however, produced in an array of colors that were right at home in the ‘90s, such as teal blue, carbon blue, cactus (a bright green), plum/damson, and redwood (a bright red).

[via eBay]

DM: It consistently blows me away how many of these various products you can find on online auction and vintage sites, often in good condition, considering they were only made for about a five year period.

10E: Do you have any knowledge of the designers behind the choices? Sources of their inspiration?

DM: According to Mark Valade, Carhartt CEO/Chairman of the Board: “There were other western wear manufacturers at that time that produced these products, but our then sales manager – who was also our product developer – knew the jacket style could be a market for us as our western consumers already knew the brand… meaning we had credibility in the western wear market. Carhartt was a smaller company at the time, and we found new markets through trial and error. The webbing color and patterns came from US mills that specialized in western prints. [Current VP of Product Development] Deb Ferraro improved the jacket and updated the prints as she became our first professional product designer.”

DM: According to Deb Ferraro, Carhartt VP of Product Development: “The western items were in the line when I started. I updated the pattern that was on the chest of the duck jackets and I worked on the printed jacket and printed chamois shirt. The influence was the western market at the time. For the chamois shirting, I worked with Cone Mills to create the print design. I believe Avondale Mills printed the duck [DM: they have since gone out of business].”

 [via eBay]

10E: Any scans or images of promo materials from this style. I have not seen much have to say.

DM: Very limited selection - by my records, it doesn’t appear to have ever been marketed as its own line, per se. These are scans from a pamphlet dubbed the “Carhartt Courier,” which was a communique sent to retailers of Carhartt products to inform them of new offerings, advertising campaigns, co-op materials, etc.

10E: So the timeline would be...

1991    Southwest linings appear

1992    Southwest Look Sweatshirts and Caps released

1993    Traditional Western Wear products and Active Jac released in Southwest patterns

1994    The Aztec Jacket and the Printed Chamois Shirt, some of the most eclectic products ever in the line, appear

1995    The final year Carhartt’s Southwest products are produced

10E: Do you know if Carhartt plans to reproduce any of these historic products?

DM: We, of course, work pretty far out on product R&D, and I do work with the design department pretty regularly. Vintage patterns and styles are very much in the current mindset for product development. As far as reproduction of historic products in general, this year we’ll be releasing a 100^th anniversary limited edition Chore Coat, which will include historic styling elements and a Faribault® lining.

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Some great stuff - thank you again Dave Moore and Carhartt for dipping into the past. Cheers!

10E2552: Inside the Carhartt Archive - Part 1

Recently connected with the Resident Archivist at Carhartt, Inc., Dave Moore, who has been tasked with creating their physical archive from the materials at hand - as well as setting an agenda for collections and processes. 

Many 10e readers share my fascination with this storied brand and its place in the workwear canon. I have noted before that Carhartt seemed a little late-to-the-party to formally organize an archive, so very interested to hear what is happening now and any academic principals that guided their decisions. Part 1 of this interview is below, presented without editorial comment. Part 2 toward the end of the week.

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10E: Can you talk about the collection policy at Carhartt; are you involved in the search for items for the archive at all? Do you look for gaps in the collection and make suggestions? Is enough ever "enough"?

DM: Yes, I am involved in the search for acquisitions. We are still very much in the phase of growing our archive, especially our garment collection. Generally, the focus is twofold: 1) the oldest possible versions of our most iconic garments, and 2) particularly unique pieces, such as clothing we produce only for a limited number of years. We are fortunate to have employees (both current and retired) and consumers that have a deep commitment to the brand and make donations to help preserve our history. We love to find a pristine version of an iconic style, but often the garments with the most interesting stories are ones that have seen years, or often decades, of hard work.

This pair of hickory stripe overalls had a brown duck backing for its nail apron,
and was only produced for about six years in the late ‘50s early ‘60s.

10E: What are a few of your favorite items from the archive?

DM: Carhartt’s Ranch Wear line in the ‘60s was popular for its brown duck offerings, but I have a particular affinity for this denim version of the Ranch Coat. One unique aspect is the orange stitching, which really makes it pop.

Carhartt “cut its teeth” in hunting wear in the ‘30s with the Super Dux line. I love the timeless style of the “Big Game Stag Coat” in Mackinaw wool.

 

And it is hard to beat the iconic heart shaped buttons from Carhartt’s early years in the late 1800s early 1900s. An updated version of this chore coat is still in our line today.

10E: The Carhartt font of the 60s was v modern, almost space age... how did that come about?

DM: All the way up to the early 1960s, Carhartt stuck with a script style although our logo type face changed, you can still see this style used quite a bit on current products. We had an experimental phase in ’65-’66, when Carhartt went to lowercase block lettering surrounded by an elongated C. The logo and type face we use today was actually implemented all the way back in ‘67. We changed the font a few times since then, but eventually came around full circle to the one from the late ‘60s.



10E: Could you talk about your career path to archivist/historian?

DM: Honestly, without my knowing it at the time, I think my career path began when my dad first sat me down to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. His interest in history really sparked mine, and I also had some absolutely amazing teachers along the way. After so many years of doing research and writing history, I developed an interest in the other side of the coin; how did all these primary source materials get here? Who saved them and organized them? Those questions ended up driving my grad studies, and I worked in both frontline museum jobs and interned at archives while I went to school.

As far as the corporate archive world goes, I am a big admirer of Ted Ryan [historian/archivist for Coca-Cola Corp. - ed]. He has done and continues to do amazing work publicizing the history of his brand.



10E: Wonder if you have 'archived' the website carhartt.com over time or if you rely on the waybackmachine.

DM: We have not yet delved into any web archiving here. I still rely primarily on our price lists and print catalogs for information on historical product offerings, although we have made huge progress in digitizing this material. We have also developed our own database in the archive for vintage product descriptions, which allows me to filter by year, fabric type, garment type, product number, etc. This database has been a major boon, especially for research and the development of garment histories for our key products.




10E: Several other retailers, notably Levi's and LLBean, have really grasped the significance of a corporate archive for materials. I believe it goes beyond the recent "heritage trend" of the last 10 years. Can you talk about some archival / business victories you have seen in your time there so far?

DM: Well, the big motivation for the creation of the archive here was the company’s 125th anniversary in 2014. The historical content was here it had been used before for many purposes, as Carhartt has always been a company to draw on its brand heritage. But it needed to be organized and made more accessible, and in just two years we’ve made huge strides. From the archive side, the overall (pun intended) victory has really been solidifying the details of our brand history. For instance, we always knew our founder, Hamilton Carhartt, started his business in a small Detroit loft, but until recent newspaper research we didn’t know where that loft was, now we do. We had vintage catalogs, but few real world historic photos of workers wearing Carhartt. Now we do.

This is the oldest known photograph of a worker wearing Carhartt (Ship Creek, AK, circa 1915).

Each new discovery puts another piece in the puzzle. From the business side, our 2016 marketing campaign (which talks about how “Our Future is in Our Heritage”) has been extremely successful and is the product of a cross-collaboration between the archive and many other departments. Through the recreation of iconic vintage pieces, we’ve been able to create a snapshot of the company’s history from 1889 that really captures our core mission and values, which are still rooted in the beliefs of Hamilton.




10E: Could you touch on the archival principle of 'reuse'? Does the business side of the operation see those economies?

DM: My firm belief, especially with regard to a company with a long history like Carhartt, is that every time you publicize that history, you are growing trust in your brand. We have an amazing design department that never ceases to innovate and create new products. The thing about Carhartt is that even when we introduce a completely new product line, there are 127 years of sweat, blood, and tears behind it. When new products are developed, it’s done in a way that harkens back to our company founder, Hamilton Carhartt, who frequently conducted face-to-face conversations with his target consumer (railroad workers) and developed an overall that addressed their specific needs. That strategy is still integral to how we operate today. Repurposing archival assets for marketing purposes puts that message across directly to the consumer; you can trust us, we’ve done this before.



Come back later this week for Inside the Carhartt Archive - Part 2

10E2553: Inside the Carhartt Archive - Part 2

Recently connected with the Resident Archivist at Carhartt, Inc., Dave Moore, who has been tasked with creating their physical archive from the materials at hand - as well as setting an agenda for collections and processes. 

Many 10e readers share my fascination with this storied brand and its place in the workwear canon. I have noted before that Carhartt seemed a little late-to-the-party to formally organize an archive, so very interested to hear what is happening now and any academic principals that guided their decisions.

Read Part 2 of this interview below - for those just joining go back and start at Inside the Carhartt Archive - Part 1.  Thanks again Dave!

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10E: Personally I am a fanatical collector of the Carhartt Centennial 1889-1989 collection. Systematically there seemed to be a change in design ethos just after this period [1989 -ed.]; looser cuts to pants, exploring other materials, manufacturing etc. Were the Centennial items simply those at hand with custom buttons and tags added?

Image via 10engines

DM: The story of the Carhartt centennial line is relatively simple - we put a commemorative patch on our existing products! The company wanted to celebrate the anniversary, but also stay committed to its core offerings. Unique items from 1989 include mesh-back caps in denim and brown duck with special patches-- they were offered to customers as promotional pieces

Image via 10engines

DM: Carhartt’s centennial in 1989 was not specifically an impetus for change in and of itself, but rather occurred at a time that the company was already undergoing growth and beginning to expand its product offerings. Carhartt had purchased a company called the Gross Galesburg Co. about 10 years earlier, which was used as a vehicle to test the waters for more casual clothing. When ‘89 came around, items like sweatshirts had been fully integrated into the line. As the ‘90s progressed, the product offerings grew by leaps and bounds. Up until this era, production capacity had been a major limiting factor for growth. The acquisition of numerous plants leading up to the centennial basically allowed the company to produce new items while still maintaining consistent production of core garments, which will always be the heart of the product line.



10E: Was Car-Lux part of the 1980s hunting line that slowly was dropped? Who researched and surfaced that spongy material for making Car-Lux happen?

DM: CAR-LUX™ was an inner shell material bonded to 100% polyurethane insulation for extra warmth. It had lightweight flocked nylon fibers that trapped air for warmth without adding extra bulk. Carhartt originally introduced it in sweatshirts in 1990, which were available in a wide variety of colors and camo patterns. While we don’t use this designation anymore, our European-based licensee, Carhartt Work in Progress, still does.

 

CAR-LUX was more of a result of Carhartt’s expansion into sweatshirts and casual clothes, as these garments were offered in many different colors, patterns, etc. However, the company stayed committed to serving the outdoors consumer by offering products like this in various camo patterns and blaze orange. The CAR-LUX designation began to be used in 1990, but the products were actually introduced in ‘88 using the name Vellux for the lining. This was a material first developed back in the ‘60s in the Pepperell Mills of Biddeford, Maine. [love this sort of info... -ed]

10E: Do you communicate much with Carhartt WIP (Europe)?

DM: I do communicate with WIP, and their requests tend to focus more on information about the formative years of the company and founder Hamilton Carhartt.

Images courtesy of the Library of Congress

10E: You told the story on the call of people returning garments with letters - could you provide an example to illustrate?

DM: Extract from one letter attached; 

"I purchased these lined bib overalls in 1976. I’m a farmer, and my daily chores – driving a tractor, and planting and harvesting various crops – proved rather demanding on them, causing occasional rips and tears, but my wife always repaired the overalls as needed. Many years and many repairs later, she passed away.

After a time, I developed a friendship with a neighbor who carried on the tradition of repairing the overalls before she too passed on. Now, twenty years later, the bibs have outlived both my wife and my neighbor so I thought it time to return the overalls to their Carhartt."

10E: What are some pieces you really strive to collect? Any unique features on older coats (like map pockets - but more than that...) you have found?

DM: I am a big fan of the “Government Style” khaki coat that appeared in Carhartt’s catalog in the early ‘20s. The four pleats on the front give it a really distinctive look

 

As far as unique features go, you could find them everywhere on our Super Dux outdoor clothes in the ‘30s. On the classic Hunting Coat, there were features and pockets for every accessory… “On the left inside there is a practical match scratcher and below this is a pocket large enough to hold a quart Stanley bottle, also a set-in pocket large enough to accommodate license, axe stone, or other useful articles.

 

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The match 'scratcher' - for the man who has everything... Some great stuff - thank you again Dave Moore and Carhartt for dipping into the past. Cheers!

Did you miss Part 1 of this interview?

carhartt vineyard -yes related

This vintage Carhartt overalls poster hangs in Brooke and Mike Carhartt’s home. Mike’s great-grandfather, Hamilton Carhartt, founded the company in 1889 in Lexington, Kentucky, originally to supply quality, durable overalls for railroad workers. Two generations ago Mike’s uncle took over the clothing company and Mike’s father went west, to California.
-via Inside Santa Ynez Valley

Mike Carhartt, who spent his formative years roping cattle and riding horseback on his family’s Alamo Pintado ranch, has now turned winemaker. Though Mike and his wife, Brooke, no longer run the dairy and cattle operation begun by his father in the late 1950s, they do continue to farm family land on the old Rancho Santa Ynez. Instead of hay, however, the couple grows wine grapes for the Carhartt Vineyard they planted in 1996.

carhartt -fall 2011 lookbook

A few weeks ago Carhartt (US) released a Fall 2011 lookbook online. The clothes are inline with their general movement to newer shapes and materials (not necessarily bad) and seems to be moving away from the splashy-graffiti-twisted-barbedwire graphics (good). Plus, Fall2011 looks generally like the blocks used for the AdamKimmelxCarhartt stuff, so if you like that you are in luck.

They are also continuing the Series 1889 line they started this year (which is not related to the 1989 Centennial stuff); e.g. chambray shirt and jacket below.


If you have been following along, since almost day 1 of this blog I have posted about Carhartt pieces that evoked some kind of fuzzy memory for me or were shorthand for rural/woodsy. But I would have to think Carhartt's continued reliance on imagery of the American worker is risking becoming disingenious, as since 2009 not-all/less-than-half/maybe-even-only-10%-now of their manufacturing is done domestically -via WSJ (read the comments section btw, essential). Yes they employ around 1,300 American workers still (fact from their Facebook) but the brand had a faultless workwear pedigree until these changes; i.e. Union made in the USA. The comments from consumers [former -ed?] on Carhartt's Facebook page are pretty strong on this issue... perhaps an example to discuss for any social media advisors?

I rarely go negative on 10e, but this particular issue touches a nerve -I mentioned the same thing in the post over at Details. OK, now back to regularly scheduled programming.

10E2086: Carhartt - Let's Review Camo

Most of these are grabbed from the 'bay or older posts - these examples of the hunting line from Carhartt. Discontinued around 1990. Some serious stuff in epic green and brown camo. Pocket flaps on the pants are the dogs'. There are other examples of Treebark(tm) in use by them from that era, and tons of blaze - for another time. You ever seen someone skiing in the coveralls? No one cuts that guy in line... 

Update 12/14/12: Last photo sent in by reader Christian. #bellsandwhistles #arctic #NOSunionmade

Further reading; Carhartt - lets review 1, Carhartt - lets review 2