Lined up into the aisles, attendees stood at the Carhartt Inc. booth waiting for their new khaki hat with a freshly sewn Carhartt Company Gear™ embroidered patch. Two industrial sewing machines and two of the company’s factory employees sewed on over 900 patches the first day. That, along with a special happy hour, kept the booth busy.
Although attendees enjoyed the swag and the beer, their interactions with the company were far more important than the experience, according to Katelyn Donah, senior brand manager, Carhartt Company Gear.
“Carhartt has been around for about 131 years, and this company has a lot of history and success,” she said. “Carhartt Company Gear, which is a relatively new division for the company, is focused specifically on the trades, home services, construction, and transportation in regard to uniforms.”
The company began working on this line in 2018 and launched it wholeheartedly in 2019. For 2020, the division launched a direct sales model that enables them to service businesses.
“Customers can actually come to the Carhartt Company Gear website and order uniforms direct from us,” said Chris Walker, sales director, Carhartt Company Gear. “We offer embroidery services as part of that experience as well to both large and smaller businesses. It’s a fast and easy approach to getting a uniform program up and running.”
CUSTOM LOGOS: Chris Walker, sales director, Carhartt Company Gear, shows an attendee one of the shirt options with custom logo embroidery.
HANGING OUT AT CARHARTT: At the Carhartt booth, Robert Gonzalez, general manager of Cool Services Inc., Austin, Texas receives his new khaki hat with a freshly sewn Carhartt Company Gear™ embroidered patch.
REFINED SKILLS: Two industrial sewing machines and two of the company’s factory employees sewed on over 900 patches the first day.
The uniform services are designed to address the entire trade workforce, especially women, who have often been underserved or overlooked in uniform programs. Its Rugged Professional™ series of uniforms, for example, has basic shorts, pants, shirts, caps, etc., all available in matching men’s and women’s styles.
The company also considered the purchaser of the uniforms and future employee additions.
“Our assortment is a little bit limited because we want our styles to have a long life,” said Walker. “Contractors can launch their company with 100 people, and when they need uniform 101 for the new employee, they can buy the exact same one as the other 100.”
The company plans a three- to five-year commitment to its styles to ensure that customers can feel comfortable for the long haul. One of the latest products from the company is the FR Force Lightweight Long Sleeve shirt. This flame-resistant offering weighs 4.7 ounces and features a unique honeycomb weave engineered for added breathability. Available in original and relaxed fit options, the shirt comes in four colors and is NFPA 70E and 2112 compliant.
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