Yes. It made the to 'cool' on the back of the rugged reputation, but Carhartt jackets are still a common sight on construction sites, out hunting, and so on. The jackets at least really are that good - waterproof and extremely sturdy.
It's sort of the same role Red Wing boots have slipped into - they count as cool now, but they're still totally viable as heavy workwear.
I'd guess they're in a similar position to North Face, who realized there's a lot more people that want to look fashionable than people who need -50F clothing, or even people who actually ski in that temperature range instead of hiding at the bar...
Pretty much, yeah. They still make good gear, but so does North Face. There's an interesting split between outdoor companies that have made this switch (e.g. North Face) and ones that really haven't (e.g. Black Diamond). It seems like some companies have specialized in gear that no one wears for style, and the rest have hybridized.
Yes. It made the to 'cool' on the back of the rugged reputation, but Carhartt jackets are still a common sight on construction sites, out hunting, and so on. The jackets at least really are that good - waterproof and extremely sturdy.
It's sort of the same role Red Wing boots have slipped into - they count as cool now, but they're still totally viable as heavy workwear.