Work pants have gone from being confined to the working environment to making fashion statements. This is because they have a more durable quality than regular jeans.
Just as some workers need a pair of jeans that can take all the strain during tedious jobs, others need them to provide them with that quality and a stylish look.
That being said, you can rock these super-durable work jeans, but it’s more important to be able to identify one with good quality.
This is why I will be taking a moment to walk you through a review of two workwear jeans I find flattering: Ariat and Carhartt.
The Difference Between Ariat and Carhartt Jeans
The type of material employed in the construction of both jeans is the major distinctive feature.
While Ariat is made up of ring-spun stretchy denim, Carhartt is made of 100% cotton. As a result of this, the Ariat jeans had a lot more stretchy feel, while the Carhartt jeans felt stiff.
History of Ariat Jeans
Established in 1993, two men worked for the existence of Ariat International. They are known as Beth Cross and Pam Parker.
Starting out, they were a footwear company and having attained a level of breakthrough, they expanded into the production of different apparel, especially workwear jeans.
The central factory from which Ariat jeans are designed has its location in the United States. Nonetheless, jeans are manufactured worldwide.
In the year 2012, a renowned wealthy family called The Fishers Family, a major shareholder in other companies, bought the clothing company known as Ariat International.
The Fishers Family declared their commitment to helping Ariat International with their goal at that time, which was global expansion.
In order to achieve this, they turned Ariat into a lifestyle brand. This proved efficient because their workwear became accessible to everyone who needed it and was not limited to equestrian or workwear stores.
In 2020, Ariat International was recognized as the largest equestrian apparel and footwear company, owing to its global expansion in sales in countries like the United States, Japan, Mexico, Europe, and Australia.
History of Carhartt Jeans
Founded in 1889 in Dearborn, Michigan by an American man named Hamilton Carhartt, or “Ham” for short, to those who knew him. He was focused on making work wear for manual laborers.
In the beginning, they started with two humble sewing machines and five workers. Possibly due to a lack of knowledge of the market, they worked in a small Detroit loft and struggled early on to break through.
Hamilton, who was eager to understand his target audience, went to visit woodworkers to talk to them directly. The result was the iconic Carhartt bib overall that we all know and love today.
With this staple on the way, they were a living example of the original slogan “honest value for an honest dollar,” which meant they were well-positioned for success.
Carhartt grew substantially over the next 20 years, and in 1910, they had mills in South Carolina and Georgia as well as serving facilities in Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, and San Francisco.
However, the company downsized due to declining sales during the great depression but found its footing again in World War II.
Carhartt images first boomed in the 1980s, when its baggy trousers and buddies became popular with hip-hop fans, graffiti writers, and skaters.
Carhartts (WIP) are mostly distributed to skate shops and independent stores. Carhartt has evolved from an all-American brand into a true staple of streetwear.
By 2020, Carhartt will have done several collaborations with big names such as Stussy and Patta. The Carhartts were always present in mainstream hip-hop.
Their jackets were bulky and imposing, adding mass and pressure to any frame. So even though they are a 131-year-old company today, the brand’s influence can still be seen.
Ariat Vs Carhartt: Head-to-Head Comparison
The choice you make while purchasing a pair of workwear jeans, you will agree, is based solely on certain qualities.
We will be looking at those qualities peculiar to each jeans brand, such as:
- Size and fit
- Stitching
- Build quality
- Price
- Design and style
- Material
Size and Fit
Because this was my first time purchasing Ariat jeans, I went ahead and tried on their most popular jeans.
These jeans are the M3, M4, and M5. The M4, which is their most popular jeans, is a boot cut that is relaxed through the waist, hips, and thighs, with the boot cut flared up the bottom, making it stacked over my boots.
The M3 is a loose straight fit that fitted a little bit loose around my waist, hips, and thighs, giving me a little more room to roam.
If you are a guy with a bigger thigh, they are your best shot. It’s straight legs, but it is stacked and fitted over my boots as well.
The M5 jeans are straight-leg jeans with a slimmer fit on the seat and thigh. It has a straight leg but was still able to get over my boots, but not as much as the boot cut.
Being a lover of straight jeans, the M5 was my pick among all the other styles they have.
I really enjoyed the fit of the Carhartt jeans because I got a great drip on them when I paired them with sneakers.
The way the jeans fit around my waist gave me a lot of confidence.
The Carhartt jeans fit true to size and had a low rise fit which sat slightly above my hip. Since I got the double knee straight fit, the space I got in my thigh was forgiving and felt pretty comfortable.
It had a straight and slightly tapered fit on my legs. What I find interesting about this fit is that it is versatile. I had had them on for weeks.
All I did was change my shirt and they paired up so nicely with every shirt I wore.
Stitching
A neatly tailored cross-stitch was employed on the Ariat M5 jeans. They felt so strong and durable and were fastened at the stress points of the jeans.
The Carhartt jeans had this beautiful stitching with a contrast stitch. For me, it wasn’t about the beauty, because what is a beautiful detail when I can’t rock it over and over again?
Apart from having an adorning effect on the jeans, they are also super strong and last a long time. There is also a sewn-on-seam stitch used in the belt loop.
Build Quality
I am really impressed by the Ariat jeans, and here’s why: they have gone above and beyond with some of the little things you might not consider when buying a pair of jeans.
They worked out pretty well for me in just their building quality. They have done an amazing job with some cross-stitching and some reinforcement points that you won’t think of, but they have definitely come in handy.
They don’t have a crotch gusset but I feel they do have more room in the crotch for guys who have always dealt with the pants being really tight or when you crutch, they are just incredibly uncomfortable.
Their reinforced belt loops are generous enough to allow belts of larger sizes through them.
What about the Carharrt denim? It’s a nice rugged pant made of 100 percent cotton. They have anchored belt loops able to hold big belts, and they properly relax around your waist and accommodate your midsection.
These jeans were designed with a fuggy flex technology which guarantees flexibility and easy movement.
Having an extra fabric over the knee area (what we know as double knee jeans) means the Carhartt jeans are built to give workers the luxury of working all day without having to worry about their work wear.
Trying the jeans on, I realized they are true to size and have a medium rise. They are relaxed through the thigh and hips. Even though these jeans are relaxed, they are sturdy and won’t stretch as you walk and move around. They need to be broken in (7-9 years) before they become your go-to jean when you need a new pair of workwear jeans.
These Carhartt double-knee jeans are constructed with double materials in the front and cleanouts on the undersides to accommodate kneepads.
Price
The prices of the Ariat and Carhartt jeans are relatively cheap, making it possible to get good quality work jeans at affordable prices.
However, a pair of Ariat jeans costs slightly more than a pair of Carhartt. I got a pair of the M5 Ariat jeans for the price of $47.99 and the Carhartt for $39.9.
Design and Style
The back pockets are really well stitched. They are double stitched around both pockets in the rear and you have some nice reinforcement here in the jeans.
The belt loops are nice and big enough for a big leather belt that you otherwise won’t get into a regular pair of jeans.
If you’ve tried to wear a web belt or something like that, you’ve found in the past that they just don’t allow you to wear that in some of the jeans.
One other thing I’ve really enjoyed is their knife pocket. This knife pocket is on the outside of the actual front pocket of the jeans, so you have an extra area sewn in and the pocket is deep enough that a very large pocket knife will slip down and stay in with ease.
I would say, if you don’t like logo inscriptions on your pieces, then the M5 Ariat jeans aren’t for you. They have a loop lock logo on the waist bank, an ariel on your butt (back pockets), and another ariel on the left little pocket.
For most double-knee jeans, an extra layer of their fabric usually comes up pretty high on the thigh, but these new Carhartt double-knee jeans I found don’t come up as high on the thigh portion.
It seats more towards the lower thigh and more towards the shin area.
The staple comes in several finishes, but I have the traditional wash. The blue on these jeans is rich and appealing to the eyes for sure.
Material
The Ariat jeans are built with a 13-ounce ring spun stretch denim. When a material is said to be rung spun, it means every single thread that composes the fabric is taken through a cycle where it is spun before it is weaved or composed into the final product.
In the final product, in order to achieve the stretchy feel, a synthetic elastomer is added to the fiber in the spinning cycle.
As a result of spinning the fibers, denim that is super durable, soft, and comfortable is produced.
They had a forgiving feel on my legs, and the stretch made it possible for me to carry out so many activities without waiting for them to break in.
The material used to build the pair of Carhartt double-knee jeans I got is 100% cotton.
And I can say that this cotton material is ideal for this beautiful pair of jeans because it is the bedrock of its design, breathability, durability, weight, and incredible quality.
The problem I have with the Carhartt is that they are too stiff at first and require so much time to break in.
We all expect this anytime we purchase a pair of jeans wholly made of cotton, but the sturdiness of these jeans is on another level.
This shows its ability to serve you for years without wearing out, giving you absolute value for your money (I would say even more value).
Final Verdict
I chose the Carhartt jeans over the Ariat jeans.
Overall, I am pretty pleased with how the double knees looked and how they turned out on my body. The fit is the number one thing that makes these jeans my pick. I disliked the stack the Ariat Jeans had over my boots.
Although the pants are pretty much stiff, Ariat was supposed to be my go-to because of its stretch, which was pretty much comfortable at first.
After the same number of washes (15 years), the Ariat jeans began to slack out of shape, becoming larger than my size, while the Carhartt jeans retained their shape. I realized it became even better through the break-in process.
Conclusion
If you want high-quality denim, you must purchase the appropriate workwear denim. Having reviewed both jeans, I do believe that I have made your journey to choosing the right workwear denim easier.
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