Throughout Carhartt's expansive history they have produced many different cuts and shapes of traditional outerwear. The company best known for its workwear selection has exploded in popularity recently within the vintage community. Due to the heavy duty nature and build quality of their products, Carhartt's outerwear pieces have held up and overtime producing the perfect fit. Throughout this post we will explore each popular model of jacket from their fit and production, to the multiple famous faces who have been seen wearing them.
The Detroit Jacket
The most iconic and recognisable piece out of the lot, the Detroit jacket. First manufactured and released in 1954 the Detroit often compared with the classic garage jacket due to its silhouette, it was the first in the companies line to comprise off a hard zipper. The jacket was first produced using a stiff denim, it was made up with two hand pockets, a pointed collar and adjusters at the waist. During the creation of the jacket it is thought that the company used the former president Dwight D Eisenhower's iconic woollen military jacket as a reference, giving the nickname Eisenhower jacket in return.
The Arctic Jacket
Arctic in the iconic Hamilton brown colour-way.
With its name giving the reasoning of this jacket away, the Arctic jacket is the go to piece when the weather gets colder. Insulated from top to bottom this jacket keeps you toasty without the need for layering. Mainly constructed with a cotton canvas outer the inside is often lined with padding through the body and arms. Triple stitching can be found at stress points to maintain the jackets durability, taking inspiration from the companies heritage details such as quilted lining as well as tighter cuffs at the arms to trap the heat.
The Active Jacket
ASAP Rocky wearing an Active jacket
The lightest coat out the bunch, the Active jackets main purpose was for allowing its wearer to have space and range of movement. Often made using 100% organic 'Dearborn' cotton canvas, this jacket is considered rugged without being rigid, consisting of an attached adjustable hood, kangaroo pocket and a full heavy duty zip. Although mostly found in the canvas fabric outer, this jacket was also manufactured using a harder more durable denim variant as pictured above. Over time the denim outer ages beautifully producing a washed, used finish which is highly sought after.