Is Carhartt Fast Fashion in 2026? Our Verdict

Carhartt has long been a streetwear staple across subcultures like hip-hop and skateboarding. Since the 90s, it’s been a symbol of street credibility, worn by icons like Tupac and Dr. Dre. But as fashion faces ethical scrutiny, is Carhartt, once known for authenticity and durability, leaning into disposable trends? Let’s find out.

Is Carhartt Fast Fashion?

As the times change, even iconic brands like Carhartt adopt fast fashion practices. Carhartt products feature polyester and acrylic fabrics, often with toxic water-repellent finishes. The brand does not disclose its supply chain and manufacturing processes, and it fails to ensure payment of living wages for its workers.

Carhartt Uses Polyester for Durability

With an emphasis on durability, Carhartt incorporates polyester (an environmentally harmful, non-biodegradable material) into many of its products. While this petroleum-based fabric enhances performance and durability, its use raises concerns about potential health and environmental impacts.

Polyester, a petroleum-based synthetic fiber, is a common component in Carhartt’s product line, as it enhances strength, shape, and weather resistance. It appears in the following forms across their range:

• Outerwear often features polyester blends, such as the 61% polyester lining in the Detroit Jacket
• T-shirts frequently use cotton-polyester blends (e.g., 60% cotton, 40% polyester)
• Specialized fabrics like Carhartt Force® technology utilize 100% polyester for moisture-wicking properties
• Sherpa linings typically contain 30% polyester

Why Avoid Polyester?

Polyester is one of the most pervasive synthetic materials in modern clothing — and its production is known to contribute to significant environmental pollution. Today, polyester accounts for over half of global fiber production, and its environmental impact extends far beyond manufacturing. Washing polyester and other synthetic fabrics is estimated to generate about 35% of the microplastic pollution entering the world’s oceans, making it one of the largest contributors to microfiber shedding worldwide.

Apart from that, polyester is often finished with synthetic coatings or resins to enhance durability, shape retention, or wrinkle resistance. These treatments can be environmentally damaging, and many conscious consumers prefer to avoid materials that require heavy chemical processing.

Ultimately, the fabric is undeniably durable, but it’s far from the most sustainable or comfortable choice for everyday clothing.

Carhartt Wasn’t Always Fast Fashion

Let’s us walk you through the good old days when Carhartt was not bombarding us with toxic polyester clothes. In 1889, Hamilton Carhartt founded the brand with a simple mission: to create durable overalls for railroad workers. For decades, Carhartt remained true to its roots, focusing on functional, long-lasting workwear — until fast fashion appeared.

The late 20th century saw a significant shift in the brand’s trajectory. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Carhartt began to gain traction in urban fashion circles, particularly within hip-hop culture.

This unexpected adoption by a new demographic led to the creation of Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP) in 1994. WIP catered to a more fashion-conscious audience while maintaining the rugged aesthetic of the original brand.

With the demands of the times, the WIP line started to use more ‘modern’, that is, synthetic materials like polyester, shifting away from its use of heavy-duty cotton (a more sustainable, natural fabric). This move signaled Carhartt’s readiness to compromise on sustainability — for the sake of market reach and a broader customer base.

Rapid Product Turnover & Sales Growth at Carhartt

One of the defining traits of fast fashion is its ability to drive constant purchasing through rapid product turnover and intentional “newness.” While Carhartt isn’t as extreme as Zara or H&M, parts of the brand, especially Carhartt WIP, have increasingly embraced these fast-fashion-adjacent practices that can encourage habitual buying and overconsumption. This is exactly how fast fashion triggers consumerism, where trend-based releases and product expansion fuel a cycle of continuous purchasing.

Carhartt’s Growing Trend-Driven Approach (Especially WIP)

In 2020, Carhartt WIP also collaborated with luxury brand Marni, creating a limited-edition collection that blended workwear aesthetics with high fashion sensibilities. This type of collaboration, common among fast fashion brands, demonstrates Carhartt’s shift toward a more trend-focused strategy that fuels FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

The brand has expanded its product range far beyond its original workwear staples. When it comes to sales growth, the following numbers speak for themselves:

• Sales Growth: Carhartt’s annual sales grew from $92 million in 1990 to approximately $600 million in 2013, indicating substantial growth over the decades.
• Market Positioning: The brand has expanded its retail presence with over 80 stores worldwide, including innovative formats like “stores within a store” at major retailers 
• Seasonal Collections: A singular Carhartt WIP Spring/Summer 2024 collection features over 20 new styles, incorporating Ivy League-inspired sportswear and utilitarian designs.

Today, Carhartt offers everything from graphic t-shirts and hoodies to accessories like beanies and backpacks. This diversification of product lines is reminiscent of fast fashion retailers who aim to capture a wider market share by offering a broad range of clothing and accessories.

Carhartt Is Neither Transparent, Nor Sustainable

Carhartt may have made some progress in sustainability, as it joined the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and the Better Cotton Initiative. The brand also launched its Reworked Program, extending the life of over 53,000 garments and diverted more than 79,000 products from landfills. However, a closer look reveals significant gaps in transparency and genuine sustainability.

In the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index report, Carhartt received a score of 7%, which indicates a lack of transparency around supply chain practices and overall sustainability. The brand does not disclose any measures taken to ensure fair labor or worker protection.

Ultimately, Carhartt’s environmental efforts are superficial. As another example of this, the brand reported a reduction of 13% in packaging, as it switched to 100% recycled materials for mailers. However, the sustainability of other types of packaging remain undisclosed.

Conclusion: Carhartt Is Fast Fashion

While Carhartt isn’t ultra-fast fashion like Zara or H&M—its collections don’t churn weekly, the brand still fits the broader fast fashion model. Carhartt maintains low supply-chain transparency, scoring only 7% on the Fashion Transparency Index, and offers limited insight into worker conditions or environmental practices. These gaps place it firmly in the “Not Good Enough” category for both labor and sustainability.

However, Carhartt’s one advantage is durability. Its garments often last far longer than trend-driven fast fashion pieces, which gives it a slightly better standing among conscious consumers seeking longevity. Even so, durability alone doesn’t offset opaque sourcing, heavy reliance on conventional materials, and minimal reporting.

In short: Carhartt’s long-lasting clothes do not exempt it from fast fashion classification. Until the brand improves its supply chain disclosure and environmental accountability, it remains part of the fast fashion industry, just with a longer product lifespan than typical throwaway apparel.

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