Heritage
Heritage is all about the story behind the brand, it can be broken down into 5 categories:
Values
Nostalgia
Provenance
History
Expertise
Carhartt Work In Progress is the avant garde way of living the Carhartt lifestyle.
Founded in 1994, the first collection designed just for Carhartt work in progress was produced in 1997 and originated in America. The first product that Carharrt constructed were overalls made of denim fabric and duck, this tightly-woven cotton fabric was also used to make tents or ship’s sails. Carharrt WIP still implements this attitude that their fabrics that are said to be able to withstand many activities and weather situations. Carhartt's slogan is "honest value for an honest dollar", the brand still embodies this attitude but with Carhartt WIP they have reworked the workwear cuts for an active urban lifestyle.
Core Values
Quality
Durability
Comfort
Contemporary items that appeal to a global market
Style of clothing
Unisex
Boyfriend style
Strong aesthetic touch with a feminine look
Urban
Rugged
Customers
Urban Sport
European riders
Graffiti writers
Nascent Urban Scene
Musicians
For traditional Carharrt the customers are:
Construction workers
Farmers
Outdoorsmen
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Offer niche products (filling a gap in the market)
Available in many countries
Strong history
Established brand name
Good quality
Collaborations with well known artists etc
Weaknesses
They don't have a big market presence
High competition
High prices
Confusing brand segmentation eg Carhartt and Carhartt WIP
Original American cuts not suitable for Europen customers
Opportunities
Collaboration with underground brand and artists
Build a marketing strategy around heritage as consumer are becoming increasingly interested in the brands history
Threats
Other brands offer similar products but at a cheaper price and consumer are often more
The wrong type of celebrity wearing the brand will bring in the wrong customers, for example Rihanna wore the Carhartt beanie which lead to teenage girls wanting to buy from the brand
Helping Society
Support - Aiding in in the scenes cultural diversity and creativity
It consists of creating partnerships with many of the main skating and BMX events in Europe as well as supporting local scenes over many years, helping skateparks to develop and persist
BMX scene
European skateboarding
Store Visit - Location Shoreditch
The Carhartt that I visited is situated in Shoreditch and is surrounded by stores such as Glasswork, a gallery and the coffee shop Pret a Manger.
The atmosphere was relaxed with indie urban jungle music playing, however staff did not greet customers instead they were often talking among themselves. Unlike many stores Carhartt has no specific smell, the only way to describe it is fresh. The product range was large, the store consist of products such a mugs to coats. The most constant styles in the store were earthy tones, animal prints, army print and unisex styles. Many of the mens item of clothing were the same for women but just in smaller sizes. The prices ranged from £11 for a miscellaneous item to £345 for a coat. The layout of the store is that products were 5m from the door, they had no mannequins or displays by the till. The interior was rustic and minimal. The customers could be considered on a completely different spectrum of style, some were dressed smart in blazer other looked part of skater scene. We observed how many customer entreated the store and concluded that the store never become overly packed however later on in the afternoon was when it got busiest.
Website Analysis
Carhartt's website does not just enable the consumer to buy their products, it enables them to amerce themselves with the Carhartt lifestyle, such as on the music section the consumer has the option to listen to Carhartt's own radio station. The site has an easy to use layout and a blog like style.
The site contains tabs such as skate and music, this represents who Carhartt believes are their customer and what they believe their interests will be.
Model Casting
The models that are usually cast for Carhartt's promotional work they have an urban edge to their look while still have a typical model look to appeal to wide target market.
Trends - Competition, Small Boutique Labels, One Off Designs, Culture Icons
