Carhartt: A Worldwide Standard Born In Detroit
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - In 1889, Hamilton Carhartt started making overalls with just two sewing machines in a small Detroit loft. With the motto "honest value for an honest dollar", Carhartt has become the worldwide standard in quality workwear. They are a fifth generation, family run company and they're still headquartered right here in Metro Detroit.
"In total, including our headquarters, we have three offices now," explains Tony Ambroza, Cheif Brand Officer at Carhartt, "and we are able to provide right around 600 total jobs in the workwear apparel industry in Greater Southeast Michigan. So you could say Detroit is part of the fabric of Carhartt, it's where the family built the business."
Hamilton Carhartt saw the need for quality overalls and quality clothing for men that were working on the railroad.
"The oldest item we have is a pair of overalls from around 1889 when the company was founded," adds Dave Moore, Archivist, and Historian. "Those are the pieces, the foundation, that makes up the story we tell when we talk about Hamilton Carhartt and how much we still follow his values and the way he did things."
Carhartt is much more than a maker of workwear. They are a brand for hard-working people and the uniform for any man or woman who chooses to take on any rugged corner of the earth. This Detroit brand still stands the test of time more than 125 years later.
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