Why would someone keep a 40-year-old torn and tattered jacket and call it their most prized possession?

Carhartt is known for its durable workwear and outdoor wear, popular among blue-collar workers. Founder Hamilton Carhartt started by making overalls for railroad workers — in muted colors, built to last.

Linda Hubbard, president and CEO of Carhartt, said that mindset — of loving and keeping a jacket that’s been through the mill — comes from harnessing the power of emotional connection: both the emotional connection consumers have with Carhartt’s products and the emotional connection Carhartt employees have to the company and to each other.

At Women in Retail Leadership Circle’s On the Road event in New York this fall, Hubbard outlined three ways Carhartt succeeds in building emotional connections.

1. Authenticity

“There’s a lot of brands out there that make up fake histories to sound like they have authenticity or that they’re genuine, but we have 135 years of real history to talk about, and real, hardworking people that we can tell their stories,” noted Hubbard. “Those are our main characters that we use to connect everyone to the brand.”

Hubbard added that authenticity around work — Carhartt’s first slogan was “Work is the thing” — is what keeps the company grounded. She said while she encourages growth and innovation, keeping the mission of your brand constant will keep it authentic. For Carhartt, being authentic means honoring people that do hard work.

That authenticity extends to leadership, Hubbard said. The qualities of an authentic leader? Be visible, vulnerable and valuable.

2. Mission

Carhartt’s mission is to “serve and protect all hardworking people.”

“You might think our purpose is to build rugged products, and it definitely is, but when we really defined it we wanted to call ourselves to something higher, to really make sure that we were taking care of the people that wore our product to help them build a better life,” said Hubbard.

Remaining true to that mission and not chasing trends has enabled customers to connect to Carhartt’s purpose and reinforce the authenticity of the brand, Hubbard told the audience. It’s also critical to keep that mission top of mind when making business decisions.

3. Empathy

Hubbard says many consumers scoff at the price of Carhartt products — its popular men’s coats start at around $100 — but also share stories about the value of a worn-in jacket.

In April 2023, Carhartt ran an ad campaign that addressed both: The video shows a father bestowing his Carhartt toolbelt to his son, who is starting an apprenticeship. In accepting the toolbelt, the son looks at his father’s jacket and says he’ll probably be needing that too, to which the father sternly replies, “Don’t touch the jacket. You’ll get your own.” The video ends with black-and-white copy that states, “Get worn-in Carhartt without asking your dad. Introducing Carhartt Reworked.”

Carhartt Reworked is a resale program that allows customers to trade in their eligible Carhartt gear as well as shop the brand’s refurbished products at a discount. In a year, the company received 6,829 trade-ins.

“Of course, the fact that Carhartt lasts so long is just the logical sustainability story for our brand, but there’s also a story about affordability and accessibility to younger people that can’t afford brand new Carhartts,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard used Carhartt Reworked as an example of the empathy that the company brings to the table — listening to customers who want worn-in Carhartt products but perhaps can’t afford the “premium workwear brand.”

Storytelling

Hubbard said those three components — authenticity, mission and empathy — comprise the storytelling that creates emotional connections with Carhartt. And the story that Carhartt is telling? That a person is keeping a 40-year-old torn and tattered jacket in their closet because it’s a representation of their life, of the challenges they’ve had, and the projects they’ve created. Hubbard said that story is what keeps Carhartt employees connected emotionally as well.

Women in Retail Leadership Circle members can watch Hubbard’s full keynote on-demand now. Not a member? Apply today!