Starting with only 2 sewing machines and 5 employees, Hamilton Carhartt established Hamilton Carhartt & Company. At first, he failed. But after asking railroad workers what exactly they needed, he succeeded. Under the motto “Honest value for an honest dollar,” the Carhartt union-made bib overall was created, and with it an ideal garment for workers. 

By 1910 Carhartt had grown to include mills in South Carolina and Georgia, as well as sewing facilities in Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, San Francisco, Walkerville, Toronto, Vancouver, and Liverpool. A Paris facility and a New York office and warehouse followed later.