But there are a lot more people working for Carhartt Marketing. All of Europe and the whole new eastern market couldn't be accomplished by 10 people!! What's the difference between Carhartt USA and Carhartt Europe?
Summarized in a few words: Carhartt USA and Carhartt Europe are two completely different markets. Like practically everybody knows, the traditional Carhartt workwear came from America and since the 90's Carhartt workwear is also available in Europe. In the mid 90's Carhartt Europe started to design its own collections. Todays' Carhartt Europe collections are mainly found in the streetwear scene and in subcultures like skate, BMX, art, and music.
What sort of BMX background do you have? I myself started riding BMX in 1987.....oh fuck...that's 20 years! Did I really start that long ago....??ts ts ts
Do you have a ramp at the office?
No, unfortunately not! Close to the headquarters in Weil am Rhein (Germany) Carhartt has its own Skatepark. But since the head office is 550km away, I can't benefit from that!
Who are on the BMX team for 2008?
There are a couple of guys riding for us. We have all of the flowriders, teamriders in different countries and then there's the Carhartt Proteam, which got extended by 4 new riders for 2008:
Frank Lukas Ger James Smith UK
Hannu Cools B
David Lombard F
Tobias Wicke Ger
Patrick Gross Ger
Alexis Desoulneux F
Stefan Lantschner I
Clint Millar Aus
New 2008:
Owain Glegg UK
Julien Leyreloup F
Arthur Dietrich F
Barry Köhne NL
What do you look for in a rider? Character, attitude, style and love...which is not easy to find!
What type of events do you sponsor?
Our biggest event ofcourse is the Rebeljam. For Carhartt and especially for me it's very exciting to be part of it. But there are also many smaller BMX Events we support!
Where do you advertise?
BMX media only: Dig, Freedom, Cream, Fatbmx, and several smaller mags. But you can also find Carhartt ads in many other fashion and scene magazines!
What team road trips have you done?
The biggest and definitely the most hilarious road trip was the Ravage04 Roadtrip. After this trip we also released a DVD, which I like to watch from time to time and every time I see it, it conjures a big smile on my face. Further, we've been to Woodward in 2005 with a couple of riders and in 2006 we made a short roadtrip to Belgium and the Netherlands. After some announcements for next year, we are all looking forward to 2008, and even I am curious what's gonna happen..haha!!But seriously, there will be a road trip in 2008!
What sort of product do you make? In 2008 we will release some real Carhartt BMX products, for example a 24" Cruiser, gloves, grips etc. I'm not really involved in the general collections.
What product is popular with the (team) riders at the moment?
It's pretty cool to see how diversified the style of our riders is. One of them likes Hoodies the most, the other one prefers Longsleeves with a Tee above, one loves big leather belts, the next one just likes shoe laces wrapped around his waist. But tight pants and 'S' shirts are definitely in style!
Art is an important part at Carhartt it seems like. Can you explain? Art is definitely very important for Carhartt!! It's a part of our company just like BMX and Skateboard. Just think of the 'Big Geezers Tour 2007'. That was a road trip for artists exactly like BMX roadtrips and they created some amazing artwork!!! You should google the trip and check it out!
What side projects does Carhartt do? Uuuuhhh, that's a lot. Besides BMX/skate/art we are involved in different music scenes and other sport scenes. But we don't have a fixed idea in what area we want to be seen in. If you come up with a good idea, we are always interested to participate!
Where can people check out the Carhartt streetwear?
www.carhartt-streetwear.com And we are also working on a new BMX part on the website!
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.