Carhartt

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