Carhartt’s real-world legacy: How user stories keep the brand true to its roots

For over a century, Carhartt has stood for grit, resilience, and the people who wear their gear with pride. The brand has never been about glossy, overproduced imagery. It’s always been about authenticity. From the railroad workers Hamilton Carhartt first designed for in 1889 to the modern-day farmers, builders, and tradespeople who rely on Carhartt today, the brand is shaped by those who wear it.

With the rise of social media, Carhartt saw an opportunity, not to create more content, but to amplify the voices of those already living the brand’s values. Through Emplifi, Carhartt turned its marketing inside out, putting real customers front and center and creating a dynamic, living tribute to the workers who have always defined the brand.

Capturing the truth of hard work

Carhartt has always been about the reality of labor – the long days, the dirt, the sweat, the pride. But in a digital world, truth often gets lost behind perfectly curated campaigns. Customers didn’t want to see a model standing in a staged job site; they wanted to see an electrician with a flashlight between his teeth, fixing a power outage in the middle of a storm.

The challenge was clear: Carhartt needed a way to bring real stories into the brand experience and create an online shopping environment that felt as real as the people who wore their gear every day.

Turning customers into storytellers

Instead of relying on perfectly sleek marketing campaigns, Carhartt decided to put the power in the hands of its customers and turned to Emplifi to help bridge the gap between its brand and its devoted community. By harnessing the power of UGC, Carhartt gave its customers a space to share their own experiences, making them the face of the brand.

With Emplifi, Carhartt was able to:

• Capture the spirit of the brand in real time, automatically pulling tagged and hashtagged content from Instagram.
• Organize and amplify stories with purpose by curating galleries based on seasons, product lines, and themes.
• Streamline UGC management with AI-powered search, enabling them to find exactly what they needed, whether it was linemen in a blizzard or welders throwing sparks in a workshop.
• Make participation seamless by simplifying the permissions process so customers can easily contribute to the legacy of the brand.

“Before Emplifi, we were limited in how we could showcase our customers’ voices. Now, their stories define Carhartt in a way that no campaign ever could.”– Kaleena Ocasio, D2C Digital Content Specialist at Carhartt Inc

Grounded in community, elevated by digital

Carhartt has deep roots in the physical world—on job sites and farms—but the brand has seamlessly extended its legacy into the digital space. By combining real-world events with UGC activations, Carhartt keeps its storytelling grounded and engaging.

At a recent Groundhog Day event in Pennsylvania, QR codes encouraged attendees to share photos in real time, turning a local tradition into a content moment. In Detroit, the Carhartt Workshop blends DIY spirit with Emplifi-powered digital displays that showcase rotating UGC galleries, bringing customer stories to life in-store.

“These kinds of activations let us meet our customers where they are and make them part of our brand in a way that’s authentic and participatory,” said Kaleena Ocasio, D2C Digital Content Specialist at Carhartt.

By merging physical experiences with digital storytelling, Carhartt proves even the most iconic brands can innovate without losing their roots.

A living, breathing brand experience

Carhartt’s partnership with Emplifi turned its community into a performance engine, where the stories of real people didn’t just inspire, they delivered measurable business results.

• UGC galleries drove a 27% conversion rate, proving that real stories build real trust – and sales.
• With over 85K+ interactions, Carhartt’s customers didn’t just engage – they became part of the brand’s ecosystem.
• UGC didn’t just connect emotionally; it drove $150K in revenue, directly impacting the bottom line.

By putting its community at the center, Carhartt modernized its digital experience while staying true to its legacy. UGC became a business driver rooted in authenticity, loyalty, and impact.

Marketing didn’t build the Carhartt brand – its people did. And with Emplifi, their voices will be able to drive growth for generations to come.