Whilst looking through the range of T-Shirts we have on offer here at The Workwear Company, we suddenly started to wonder where this hugely popular, instantly recognisable item of clothing originated from. Who came up with the idea of the T-Shirt?

After a little research we found a great website called zoozoo2.com which gave us all the information we required. It is perhaps quite possible to go further in-depth with the research into the humble beginnings of the t-shirt but we will leave that up to the individual with enough time to do so!!

The concept of the t-shirt is attributed to the U.S Navy, although some Historians accredit it to The British Royal Navy. It perhaps depends upon which side of the pond you yourself live on as to which of these theories you would prefer! It was an undergarment, designed to be comfortable and quick drying for the men to wear under their uniform. Despite the usual historical discrepancies with dates, the general consensus is that the U.S Navy issued them around about 1913 and certainly by the 1920′s the term was officially listed in the American English Dictionary.

Of course the real interest in t-shirts came from them being adopted by Hollywood, and most of us will perhaps be able to trace our awareness of them back to the halcyon days of film and cinema. Who could forget the iconic images of Marlon Brando in his t-shirt in the 1951 film “A Streetcar Named Desire” or the poster image of James Dean in his pure white t-shirt in “A Rebel Without A Cause”? The likes of huge global superstars such as Elvis Presley added to the appeal of this clothing item immensely too. The trend to try and emulate your idol started early and hasn’t died off any.

According to the zoozoo2.com website there was one setback which we found rather amusing. In the 1954 film “It Happened One Night” Clark Gable took off his clothes to reveal his bare chest – no t-shirt – this apparently caused the sales of t-shirts to fall temporarily! Never underestimate the power of the film star!

The other big influence with the t-shirt has to be the use of them to promote a political or social message. Certainly this was a popular approach in the 1960′s when the use of screen printing allowed t-shirts to be adorned with whatever cause the wearer wished to be associated with. The large-scale political and social unrest of the 1960′s ensured that this avenue would leave a lasting impression on the history of the t-shirt too.

During the 1960′s and through the 1970′s the other notable influence on the t-shirt industry was Music. It became commonplace for Rock Bands especially, to have t-shirts printed with their images and slogans on to be sold at their concerts. Of course this practice is still very much used today by all artists and musicians. The t-shirt has very decidedly affirmed its place as a powerful PR tool for whatever industry chooses to use it.

The t-shirt is, lets face it, an important part of fashion history and it shows no signs of slowing in popularity. Carhartt T-Shirts are all made with the best quality cloth, and adorned with an array of images. Some are quite simple and stark, bearing only the Carhartt label, others are quite elaborate with their logo and have a distinctly american vintage feel to them which is an exceptionally popular theme right now. Again Carhartt can attribute some of their growing popularity to the use of their t-shirts and other apparel in certain widely-regarded television programmes such as NCIS. The power of the visual message should never be underestimated!

So be a part of a still-growing trend and update your wardrobe with luxurious, durable, fashionable t-shirts now. Visit The Workwear Company and take your pick!

In our opinion here at The Workwear Company, Carhartt Workwear is quite unique. It actually does manage to be fashionable whilst also functional, practical and of exceptional high quality.

One of the Directors of the Company came up with the slogan “Wear It Out – Don’t Wear It Out” which we all happen to think is quite good and very relevant. However if you are not familiar with the Carhartt brand perhaps a little confusing too! It simply means that you can wear your clothes for work – happy in the knowledge that you look good – then simply go straight out for drinks after too. No need to go home first and change – your local would not think you scruffy in your Carhartt Workwear. It often doubles as fashion wear anyway due to the labels increasing popularity.

The “Don’t Wear It Out” part of the slogan simply refers to the high quality of the fabrics used and the fact that you can wash and wear an item of Carhartt Clothing time after time and not have to replace it for years. There are tales of customers having workwear for over 10 years with constant washing and wearing. It is quite unbeatable.

The price may sometimes look a little on the expensive side but the same Company Director has a slogan for that too! “Buy Cheap – Buy Twice“. That’s not wrong, if you view the purchase as a long term investment and work out how much you would have spent on lots of cheaper items over the life of the Carhartt item, you would have saved a fortune. Quality literally does speak for itself and you cannot get better than Carhartt.

Take a look at the products on offer here at The Workwear Company, there isn’t an extensive list but its all of the best fabrics and craftmanship that your money can buy. Quality not Quantity – that’s another company slogan for you…!

The man responsible for giving us Carhartt was Hamilton Carhartt and he was born in 1855 in New York. From an early age he showed a remarkable entrepreneurial style and indeed even changed his surname to include the extra ‘T’ at the end to ensure he stood out from other businessmen. He quickly realised the need for his products to be different from any others available and after talking to a Railroad Engineer he created a garment that was an overall specifically designed for him, which had never been done before. Hamilton founded his namesake company in 1889 and began to produce high quality workwear with just one aim – to set a standard of excellence that would prove to be the benchmark.

After suffering a setback with The Great Depression, the Company rallied and began to build a strong empire establishing more than 17 plants and 3 mills throughout America, Canada and Europe. Their motto was “From the Mill to the Millions”. Carhartt Master Cloth was designed and woven especially by the Carhartt mills for exclusive use in the Carhartt Garments and was considered to be the best cloth that could be produced. Indeed little has changed in the subsequent years and the Carhartt name is still synonymous with high quality materials and finishes.

Hamilton Carhartt passed away in 1937 at the age of 82, but the Company remained, and still does remain, a family owned business committed to providing apparel considered to be the best in its class.

Today you can see Carhartt clothing modelled in many Films and Television Programmes including NCIS, Supernatural and Ice Road Truckers. In Apparel Magazines 2011 Top Innovators list Carhartt were up there with the likes of Abercrombie and Fitch and Burberry.

So confident are they with their Workwear products that they actively invite anyone who has purchased a product to test it within their line of industry and submit their findings to their website. They know that their products stand up to the test in real circumstances. On the website itself you can even read amazing real-life stories of people who have even had their life saved by their Workwear, the high durability of the fabric meant that severe injury to their persons was avoided.

Browse our website today and see if you can find your next life-changing and life-saving purchase. You too could be one of the happy majority who have owned Carhartt items for ten years or more with no faults detected. We look forward to seeing you there!

“I believe that when a man wears an article that I manufacture, his self-respect is increased because he knows that it is made by an honest manufacturer, who is honest with his employees”. Hamilton Carhartt.

Welcome to the new Blog from The Workwear Company. We hope to bring you up-to-date information, news and product reviews to keep you well informed. If you are interested in Carhartt then we hope you will be interested in what we have to say. We love Carhartt, we hope you do too.