10 Companies Similar to Carhartt
Carhartt is a company specializing in the manufacturing of heavy-duty clothing. Their products involve coats, jackets, vests, shirts, hunting appeal, and fire-resistant clothing. The company was founded in 1889, and its headquarters is in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A. According to its profile on LinkedIn, the company has an average of 7,500 employees.
Its revenue is $600 million per year. The company’s products are sold in different distribution stores. Its operations are major in the U.S, Mexico, and other European countries. Though it makes different types of clothes, it identifies itself as a ” workwear manufacturing company.” In this article, we shall discuss other companies whose operations and products are similar to those of the Carhartt company.
10. The North Face
The North Face is one of the swag brands you will have. Together with the Dickies, they are owned by VF Corporation. Like Carhartt, it manufactures high-profile equipment and apparel used in skiing, mountaineering, and backpacking. The company was incorporated in 1965, and by introducing the “store within a store” idea, it sold out in the 1990s. The products of North Face are in more than 3,500 shops. Due to bad sales, it was sold to and purchased by the VF Corporation in 2000.
When you visit Alameda, CA, U.S, you will find the headquarters of North Face. The Front Office Sports reports the company reported total revenue of $2.8 billion, and it has more than ten thousand employees. Shelby Slaton is the current CEO of The North Face. If you are having a problem getting winter jackets, then this is your home, for it has jackets with unbeatable specifications.
9. Ben Davis Clothing
Ben Davis Clothing has been a leading producer of work wear for construction and railroad workers. They specialize mainly in producing workwear, but they have ensured that their products are the Creme Dela Creme. The company was established in 1935. It has its headquarters in San Rafael, California. The founders were Ben Davis and Simon Davis. The company has been under the leadership of Frank Davis since 1995, and through his leadership, it produced a fall/winter collection -a tribute to the company’s history. Some clothing of the Ben Davis is popular in the “Chicano” and ” Cholo” cultures for the youth. Musicians like Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and the Beastie Boys have used the company’s clothes to produce their videos. According to Rocket Reach, the company records an average income of $13 million.
8. Caterpillar (CAT)
Caterpillar, famously going by its name, CAT, is one of the leading producers of rugged and classic workwear. All their brands are hard-working, as well as the accessories. The company was founded in 1925 in California, USA, by C.L. Best. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas, U.S. A. t the end of 2021, it recorded a revenue of $48.19 billion with a total net income of $6.49 billion in the same year. CAT has an average of 107,700 employees. Over the years, CAT has acquired other companies such as Trackson (1951), Towmotor Corporation (1965), and Balderson Incorporated (1990), among others. Besides manufacturing tough workwear, the company has manufactured high-end machineries such as hydraulic excavators, motor graders, and backhoe loaders.
Despite the expansion into other areas, the clothing manufacturing by CAT has never lost its original value and taste. The Caterpillar-branded work boots are manufactured by a subsidiary (Wolverine World Wide), and their history goes back to the second world war. Several leading private military companies have been contracting the company to produce garments and safety boots. Since January 1, 2017, Jim Umpleby has been the Chief Executive Officer of the company.
7. Timberland
If you are looking for an alternative to Carhartt, this is the place to choose their working boots. Timberland started as a workwear company, but with time it has evolved to be in the production of streetwear. According to Encyclopedia, the company was incorporated in 1933 as the Abington Shoe Company of Abington of Massachusetts. The company changed its name to Timberland in 1978 and went public in 1987. The company operates in different countries under subsidiaries such as Timberland Retail, Timberland Aviation, and Timberland Manufacturing.
The corporate headquarters of Timberland are in Stratham, New Hampshire, the U.S. Still, it has other operational bases in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, the Dominican, and many other European countries. The number of employees at Timberland rages at an average of 2,773. The GlobeNewswire reported that the company reported net income of $27.58 million for the financial year ending September 2021, which was 14% increase from the previous year.
6. Red Kap
The company manufactures workwear and industrial clothes for some of the largest industries in the United States, mainly companies in the automotive, culinary, and transportation industries. The headquarters of Red Kap is in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1923 by Claude H. Williams, Alexendar F. Harlin, and William Wirt Harlin. Initially, it focused on the production of bib overalls. The annual revenue of the company is $22 million (approximately). The company’s first development laboratory and apparel research were opened in the 1960s.
In 1986, Red Kap acquired the famous VF Corporation and listed it on the New York Stock Exchange. Some of the main customers for the Red Kap have been Ford, General Motors, and Honda. Fedwood Capital Investments, LLC acquired the company in 2021. Anthony Famiano is the current president and Chief Executive Officer of the company. The company was involved in liberating the nation’s war when it started manufacturing gas mask carriers, field jackets, and combat fatigues for different military units. Red Kap is one of the most successful businesses which were originally family-owned.
5. Duluth Trading Company
The Duluth company was founded in 1989, and it is publicly owned. It focuses on manufacturing casual wear, designer clothes for men and women, accessories, and workwear. The headquarters of Duluth Trading Company is in Mount Horeb, US, with operational offices in Bellevue and Dubuque, US. The company is valued at $227.8 million and has approximately 859 employees. In addition, at the end of the financial year 2021, it generated a revenue of $698.6 million, with a gross profit of $337.3 million.
Though with a small profit margin compared to the other companies discussed herein, the company has been on a positive profit generation schedule since 2017. It has Sales, Operations, Administrative, Creative, Human Resource, and retail departments. It is also good to note that the retail department has the highest number of employees, with more than 80%, which is expected of a company of this nature. One of the companies on this list is highly recommendable for those who wish to start small-medium-sized corporations.
4. Filson
If you are a cool kid living in the expensive neighborhoods of the United States, here is a brand you will not regret. Filson is an American-based company that specializes in the production of durable, rugged clothes of high quality. They produce sweaters, shirts, pants, fishing equipment, and hunting gear. Filson was established in 1897 in Seattle, Washington, the U.S. In 2012, Bedrock Manufacturing acquired Filson to join its long list of American brands. Though it has different products, this is the brand you should go for when looking for the best wet and cold weather clothes, more so its Tin Cloth being at the top in the world.
The company, which has been operating since, has a customer base in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia (Japan). The company has 240 employees, with 53% of them being men. It dresses some celebrities such as Chris Stapleton, Jon Roderick, Tom Selleck, Rob Patterson, Tom Cruise, and others. Since January 5, the company has been under Paolo Corinaldesi as its Chief Executive Officer. According to Grow, the company has an estimated annual revenue of $86.5 million, with its employee revenue rating at $283,750.
3. Keen Utility
Keen Utility is famous for its work boots and many other varieties of workwear. The company is privately owned and was founded in Alameda, California, in 2003. It has had its headquarters in Portland, Oregon, since 2006 after shifting from its founding offices. The corporate headquarters of the company has 300 employees. It enjoys annual revenue of more than $240 million. Though recently formed, it forms the list of Fortune Magazine’s list as one of the fastest growing companies. Among its famous boots are the “Troy,” which are fitted with FLEX technology, enabling one to bend or squat with much ease.
Other than other companies which have manufacturing facilities outside the United States, the company manufactures its work wear in the U.S facility, which is a few kilometers from its head office. Among the famous boots produced by Keen Utility are the: Portland Work Boots, Braddock Work Boots, Coburg Work Boots, Dover Work Boots, Mt. Vernon Work Boots, and the Logandale Work Boots. All these shoes are made using the Direct Attach technique-the method used to embed a boot’s outsole to the upper part.
2. Dickies
Dickies is one of the companies like Carhartt because it specializes in workwear whose quality is almost the same as that of the latter. The company has been operating since 1922 and sells its products to each part of the world. It was founded by C.N. Williamson & “Colonel” Dickie. It is a subsidiary of VF Corporation, acquired at $820 million in 2017. Some key foreign countries it operates in are South Africa, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Canada.
Dickies has its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. According to Zippo, the company’s revenue is $1.0 billion, and its current Chief Executive Office is Roland Dickey, Jr. The Dickies have almost 5,300 employees. Besides making printed jeans, appeals, overalls, and khaki pants, the company also makes designer clothes for Tera and Kodiak. The company has been sued several times, but it has won many of the cases. Like its competitors, it makes most of its sales through online platforms, with its branches in the U.S and United Kingdom having the highest revenue generation.
1. Levi Strauss & Company
Britannica introduces Levi Strauss & Company as the largest manufacturer of pants. Besides denim jeans, the company’s most famous product, it also produces tailored slacks, hats, skirts, jackets, belts, and other designer clothes. San Francisco is where the headquarters of the company is. It is one of the oldest wear companies in the U.S, as it traced its origin to around 1829-1902 when it was under the leadership of Levi Strauss. According to its publicly released financial records, it has a revenue of about $6.24 billion.
Over the years, the company’s ownership has changed, but as of the latest records, institutional shareholders are at 17.8%, Levi Strauss & Co insiders own 1.07%, and retail investors own 81.14%. In addition, the company has an average of 12,500 employees. Many of its products are manufactured in other countries with cheaper materials and labor compared to the U.S: India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. However, due to their high-designer requirements, some brands such as “Levi Vintage” and” Levi Premium” are manufactured in the U.S.
The Future of Workwear Clothing Manufacturing
As the world becomes more sensitive to work-related issues, companies involved in producing workwear will face more scrutiny. Class lawsuits may start knocking when workers realize they have been collectively disadvantaged by certain clothing from a given company. Manufacturers must ensure that quality is maintained and compliance to set standards is at the best level.
In Conclusion
Manufacturing workwear is one of the most lucrative businesses one can invest in. The companies discussed herein trace their foundations to simple family initiatives. To cut operational costs, some companies have decided to separate their head offices and manufacturing centers by setting up factories where the raw material and labor are cheaper. The companies are also involved in producing other clothes to make their profit margins wider. All of these companies marketing strategies use online marketing and retail distribution. Next time you are looking for a company that gives you the same services as Carhartt, select one of the above companies and place your order.
