I'm not sure which nerdy part of me likes this most, the obscenely rare, the Brit, the American or the denim hunter. It ticks pretty much every box. It's an amazing, almost unique piece and I'm super happy to offer it for sale!
As the Carhartt business expanded in the 1920s and 30s, they established a number of factories outside the US. The Canadian branch is pretty well known, but the British factory in Liverpool less so. I've found contracts with the British government dating back as far as WW1, but pieces from Carhartt UK of this era are hellishly hard to find. It's made from Bradford Dyers Association Rigmel shrunk denim, so one assumes the denim was made in Yorkshire at one of the many cotton mills there.
I've had one other piece from the same factory, dated 1938 by which point the Rigmel branding had been amalgamated into the Carhartt tag, and one must assume this piece predates that. Rigmel as a process is essentially the British name for Sanforized which was adopted in the early 1930s, so that dates this piece to sometime in the mid-late 1930s.
What I love about this is the mixture of British and American design. It's a denim fabric with both warp and weft indigo dyed, and a front and back facing to the fabric. The three pocket and three button is more European in nature, but the cuffs, which are unbottoned, are closer to what I'd expect to see on a US made chore. The buttons, of which I believe the top and bottom are original, are unbranded, and the logo rather unusually sits in the right armpit. There are a few other cool details, like contrasting reinforcement on the inside of the pockets, and the locations of the lower pockets, actually sitting on either of the body. There are some faint remains of a stencil on the inside - a number 27 I believe, so possibly a military used piece but that's a complete guess!
Condition
Used with beautiful fading and patina, but no major damage. The cuffs have clearly been folder up for much of it's working life so there is fading on the inside. Whilst the fabric is in remarkably good shape, there are a couple of tiny knicks here are there. It looks like the felled seams down the back may have been resewn at some point, but it must have been done a long time ago as the fading and wear shows. I. believe the middle button is a replacement.
Size
- Tagged a 42 (barely - you can't see it in the photo but there are the remains of size tag sewn with the brand tag)
- Pit to pit 24"
- Sleeve 21"
- waist 25"
- Inside leg 30"