Carhartt history

By 1910, Carhartt had grown to include mills in South Carolina and Georgia, as well as sewing facilities in Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, and San Francisco.

By 1925 Carhartt had established a new plant in Paris and had an office and warehouse in New York City.

With the assistance of the people of Irvine, Kentucky, a new plant was completed at the beginning of 1932 for just over $35,000.

Upon Hamilton’s death in 1937, his son Wylie became president of the company.

The diagonal version was used starting around 1950.

Wylie’s daughter, Gretchen Carhartt, married Robert Valade, who assumed leadership of the company in 1958.

Wylie’s daughter, Gretchen Carhartt, married Robert Valade, who assumed leadership of the company in 1959.

In 1960 the firm made two significant acquisitions: Crown Headlight of Cincinnati, Ohio, and W.M. Finck & Co. of Detroit, an overalls manufacturer.

In 1965 Carhartt, Inc., a Michigan corporation, was formed from the merger of Hamilton Carhartt Overall Co., Inc., a Georgia corporation, and W.M. Finck & Co., a Michigan corporation.

In 1971 Carhartt established its first contemporary subsidiary, Carhartt South, Inc., to produce jeans, after acquiring a plant in Drew, Mississippi.

In 1972, Robert Valade, Vice President of Sales Gust Feles, and Executive Vice President of Manufacturing Don Rasinen formed a nucleus that changed the face of Carhartt forever.

In 1975, the heavy duty hooded jacket, dubbed the “Active Jac,” was introduced, and the style remains the top-selling jacket for Carhartt today.

In 1976, the brand introduced its hard-finish duck Active Jac in “hoodie” form—the style remains the top-selling jacket for Carhartt today.

In 1978 the acquisition of Gross Galesburg Co. in Galesburg, Illinois, resulted in the formation of a third subsidiary of the same name.

In 1980 Carhartt Midwest expanded into a plant and warehouse in Madisonville, Kentucky.

In 1982 Carhartt launched its first national marketing program with national advertising.

The company had been selling its clothes in Japan strictly as fashion items since 1987.

In 1989 the company built a new distribution center and a new sewing plant on its property in Madisonville, Kentucky.

Carhartt’s sales reached a record $92 million in 1990.

The firm expanded its capacity in 1992 by purchasing a 64,000-square-foot sewing plant in Glasgow, Kentucky.

Expansion continued in 1993 with the completion of a new 100,000-square-foot distribution center in Glasgow, Kentucky.

Further expansion took place in 1994, as Carhartt broke ground on a new central Kentucky cutting center in Glasgow, Kentucky.

Internationally, London-based Work in Progress owner Ben Joseph, Carhartt's designated licensee and distributor in the United Kingdom, began promoting Carhartt clothing in England and Ireland in 1995.

In the spring of 1997 Carhartt began its role as official national sponsor of Stihl Timbersports.

The dispute was settled in November 1998 when Carhartt agreed to work with appropriate union building and construction trades councils in the construction of future projects, but planned to complete the Hanson facility with the existing contractor and subcontractors.

When Carhartt awarded a contract for the distribution center to a nonunion design-and-build contractor, the company became involved in a dispute with the local building and construction trades council and the AFL-CIO, which threatened to boycott Carhartt products. It opened in May 1999.

In early 2004, the company signed a partnership with Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoe Co., a manufacturer of shoes and rugged work boots.

The other significant event during the first half of the decade was reported in mid-2005, when Carhartt, which had obtained textiles from the United States and Europe throughout its history, announced it was exploring sourcing opportunities in Asia.

In 2013, Linda Hubbard assumed the role of president, becoming the first non-family member to hold that position.

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