Carhartt Double Front Pant: trousers test? Trousers test!
5.1.2018
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Thomas Kunz
After my old work trousers died following an accident with a burner, I was looking for a replacement. By chance, I came across the Carhartt brand. And workwear can also be tested. So: here's a test of a pair of trousers.
When I'm tinkering with a welding torch in my favourite place in the city of Zurich - the workspace at the House of Youth and Culture Dynamo - , I couldn't care less about "best styles for winter" or "basic jeans as an accessory". I want pockets, I want thick fabric and I want great freedom of movement.
I want a great pair of work trousers.
Not the junk you can buy at H&M or, for the most part, Galaxus. Sure, some trousers look like they're made to work with, but I don't trust fashion brands when I'm close to a flame over 1000 degrees. Because it was this flame that signed the death warrant for my last pair of work trousers. A few seconds' lapse in concentration, the fire starts at the back of the knee, the trousers disintegrate - except in his bedroom, Dominik has never removed his trousers so quickly. Fortunately, I didn't get hurt. But my trousers were dead.
Since that episode, I've been on the hunt for new work trousers. The latest attempt comes from the house of Carhartt and answers to the name of "Double Front Pant". As ordering workwear on the Internet is a tricky business - unless you know exactly what you want - I decided to write an article. I hope that after reading it, you'll know one more pair of trousers.
Normally, we have these trousers at home, as the manufacturer boasts that they can tow a car with them on. We, of course, want to try them on. As the trousers in the box under my desk might be my size, I decide to try them on. It was mostly for a laugh, not really because I really wanted to try them on. Yes, in the editorial department we sometimes fall victim to those famous ten minutes of boredom. Most of the time it's those minutes to test my construction ideas.
Wearing work trousers to the office: impossible
OK, I don't really feel in my element. At home, in the office, casual culture reigns - the "I wear (more or less) what I want". In that sense, work trousers aren't a problem, but the Double Front Work Pant is definitely not for sitting around the office. I'm no less underdressed than I normally am, even if the trousers are a little too long. But it doesn't matter, I'm walking around a bit and that's fine. If these trousers really are to become my workshop partner in the future, they will have to be shortened. Because if something hot were to fall into the crease... no fun.
It's clear, the trousers aren't made for the office. The fabric at the front of the thighs is double, making the garment stiff and massive. Walking normally in them isn't easy, as the tailors at Carhartt must have thought that freedom of movement was top priority here.
It's clear that the focus has been on movement. The trouser legs are definitely too stiff to sit on and won't soften, even after being washed and worn for weeks on end. A reinforced front is indeed a reinforced front.
Ah yes, trousers do get hot quickly. The thick fabric doesn't really allow air to circulate if you're not moving around. Jeans are a much better option for the office.
Work trousers in the workshop: oh yeah!
Okay, we've said it enough: the Carhartt Double Front Pant in its rather less enchanting brown, affectionately named "Carhartt Brown" by Carharrt, is not for the office. Unless you go there to tinker and not to write endless texts in which you talk about work trousers.
I'm not writing this for people who work in an office, but for tinkerers, builders, labourers and those who like to go into their workshop. Those who create, repair and build, test and experiment.
The Dynamo is therefore my test environment. More specifically, Gunar Hambrecht and Patrick Wild's metal workshop. Flames, sparks and sandblasting await my trousers. My current project is to make a coat rack out of chain hooks - you'll find out more at the end of my work - and the paint has to be removed from them. Because they're farting red, and that doesn't look right at all.
We light the acetylene torch and strip the paint. Easy. It's not exactly the most environmentally friendly method, but sanding takes too long: the sand is too fine and working outside is only possible until nightfall. True, the Gunar team has installed floodlights, but, when the welding torch is switched on, anything darker than daylight becomes too dark to work effectively.
.
Sun and heat should therefore be on the agenda. I hope, logically, not to catch fire, but it's better to be prepared than caught off guard and hurt yourself. So off I go. Fifteen minutes later, I feel comfortable. The trousers are fine. What surprises and delights me most is that they follow my every move without a hitch.
What jumps out at me is that the bottom part of the trousers is cut very wide. That's why walking turns into a cowboy look, but, for work, it's great. The trousers never get in the way. I'm used to having plenty of room in my thighs, but taking advantage of such space in my calves is a new experience.
And now: the ultimate test
So, I work for a few hours. It's about two degrees outside, but I'm not cold. For my upper body, this happens quickly, but it takes a lot for me to put on long underwear. An extra point for the trousers.
However, I notice that the hammer loop present on the left leg is extremely short. It could also be that I'm just not used to the strap only going from the side seam to the back pocket. But I still have to say that hanging tools is more difficult than with my old trousers.
Speaking of pockets: the trouser pockets are not meant for storing screws, nails or any other sort of stuff. In fact, the tops of the pockets are deliberately tighter to keep the contents of your pockets there. Clearly, the Double Front Pant is meant to be used with a tool pouch or workbench.
I'm glad I have reinforced trousers. Sparks and the like don't worry me. Not only because I've learned over the years that sparks don't present a danger to the trousers, but more importantly because the rugged trousers give me a better sense of security.
Why trousers aren't stylish
OK, these trousers aren't exactly fashionable, I admit. Carhartt brown was, at the latest, out of fashion after the fall of the skateboarders in the 1990s. But the brand of the trousers proves it. Because Carhartt is not Carhartt.
- Carhartt WIP is the brand for fashion clothing
- Carhartt Workwear is the brand for workwear
In Zurich, you can usually find WIP clothing. By the way, behind the brand is a Swiss man. Edwin Fäh, a former jeans shop owner, launched the brand in 1994 after getting the blessing of the US parent company. He discovered workwear and then turned it into a street-wear brand. With great success. In Zurich alone, Carhartt WIP has two shops, one in Sihlpost and the other in Niederdörfli. Carhartt WIP generates annual sales of more than 120 million francs.
In the meantime, the parent company in the USA continues to produce workwear. Some for women, a lot for men. Heavy fabrics, rustic check patterns, comfortable and above all functional cuts. Carhartt knows its target audience and wants to reach few people outside it. Since the company was founded by Hamilton Carhartt in Dearborn, Michigan in 1889, the brand has never been trendy or out of fashion. Workers wear the garments like others wear Levi's jeans. In 2013, Carhartt had sales of more than 600 million francs.
There, I'm done. Throw yourself into a project, even if it's ugly, you've still done something.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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