Porch Notes
Carhartt Started in a Detroit Loft in 1889
History and culture
The rugged workwear brand stitched into Michigan’s identity — those tan duck bib overalls and chore coats — began in a small Detroit loft more than 130 years ago.
In 1889, a traveling merchant named Hamilton Carhartt (“Ham” to friends) set up shop with two sewing machines and about five workers. His first attempts at clothing flopped, so he did something smart: he went and talked directly to railroad workers about what they actually needed. The answer was tough, honest work clothes. His first product — a heavy-duty bib overall built from sturdy duck and denim, with triple-stitched seams and rustproof buttons — became the standard for quality workwear. His motto said it all: “Honest value for an honest dollar.”
The timing was perfect. As Detroit’s auto industry boomed, Carhartt was there to clothe the factory workers, and the company grew into mills and sewing plants across the country. It even outfitted U.S. soldiers in World War I.
What’s remarkable is how little has changed. The bib overalls and chore coat look much as they did a century ago — Carhartt overalls still have a little slot above the front pocket designed to hold a railroad worker’s pocket-watch chain, a quiet nod to those first customers. And the company is still owned by Hamilton Carhartt’s descendants, still based in metro Detroit.
Where to see it
Carhartt is headquartered in Dearborn and runs a flagship store in Detroit's Midtown on Cass Avenue, where the brand's Michigan roots are front and center.