Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, or more specifically Portland, you’ve likely noticed the trend in styles featuring outdoor work/hiking clothing. Beanies, jackets, boots, you name it. I’ve seen this co-opting of work-wear throughout my life growing up in this region, but as of the last few years something has changed. In the past I’d see many different brands such as Patagonia, Columbia, or the North Face. Currently, one brand has been consistently dominating the mainstream: Carhartt. This could be partially due to another fashion undertone you may have noticed: 90s style is in full swing again. Baggy jeans, vintage tees and sweatshirts are also current trends, but the combined popularity of these items with workwear clothing is something completely new.
Hamilton Carhartt started the Carhartt clothing business in 1989. Initially the brand only made overalls for railroad workers, but Carhartt eventually spread their manufacturers to South Carolina and Georgia. After the clothing brand took off, they quickly expanded their garments to pants, shirts, shoes etc., all of which are items you see being worn today.
Tam O’Neil, a Portland resident originally from Scotland, has been a second-hand clothing vendor since 1963. He talks about how he picks up on clothing trends early to sell to his customers. “Every time I go out I observe what people wear … Eventually I saw this little leather square patch on everyone’s pants, and that’s how I found out about Carhartt,” O’Neil said.
One specific trend within the Carhartt aesthetic is the double knee pants. These pants are intended for people who work a lot on their hands and knees, as the double layered fabric helps to make the pants more durable. For kids who don’t do manual labor, the pants still serve as extremely practical, functional, and long lasting. Either way, if you haven’t already purchased Carhartt’s and are interested in a pair, I can’t stress enough the importance of buying them second-hand. The quality is typically unchanged, and you’ll be saving around $20-30.
Chelsea Swanda, an employee of the thrift shop Take It Or Leave It, draws a connection between Carhartt and hip hop. “Some looks that have inspired this trend are Levi’s work pants or off the shoulder shirts from dancers — from hip hop.” Hip hop’s style has long influenced trending fashion in mainstream culture.
In current years it can be hard to stay in the loop with trend cycles. As many people get older, it can become more difficult to follow trends simply due to aging and younger generations’ quick and experimental expressions. This is why I find the Carhartt trend so fascinating. The brand has such a timeless and widespread appeal. If you want to rock the baggy denim style, there are plenty of different options. Having different generations wearing the very same items and brands at the same time is something that doesn’t happen very often. This uprising of the Carhartt style definitely is notable and seems to be continuing into the foreseeable future.
