Is That an Imposter Carhartt?

Just a little FYI for all you Carhartt enthusiasts out there, the company doesn’t manufacture their footwear. Sorry to disappoint you but the boots are actually manufactured by the Red Wing Shoe Company.

Carhartt licenses their name and identity to  Red Wing for a fee.  In turn, the company manufacturers boots under the prestigious Carhartt name. This is a familiar practice exercised by many well-known brands. Another example is Caterpillar boots, which are licensed and manufactured by Wolverine.

So, why not manufacture the work boots themselves? Well, how about expertise, cost, and high risk to name a few.

I’m betting Carhartt knows very little about manufacturing work boots, or the market. It’s easier for them to license their name to a well-established shoe manufacturer. That way, if the deal goes sour, Carhartt can just break ties and forget the whole work boot idea altogether, or they can hook up with another manufacturer and start over.

Sweet deal, huh? Hey, they did spend over a century building up their brand name and image. They certainly deserve to reap the rewards.

Do you feel hoodwinked in any way?

Well, rest assured die-hard Carhartt fans. Carhartt does have some say in their work boot designs, and I’m sure they’re quite picky.