BRUNT Workwear Founder & CEO Eric Girouard notes that more than two years ago, he sought to build a company that makes high quality, comfortable work boots and clothes.
Although relatively new to a market that includes such companies as Blaklader, Carhartt, Dickies, Truewerk, Duluth Trading Company and the like, the foundation for creating BRUNT Workwear was laid during Girouard’s youth growing up in a blue collar household.
He notes on his company’s website that he had spent his teenage years roofing and landscaping alongside childhood friends. He went to college to pursue his early interest in business while many of his best friends went straight into the trades after high school.
“Those friends are some of the smartest and hardest-working guys I know, yet a career in the trades still doesn't garner the attention it deserves for all that they've accomplished,” Girouard notes on the company’s website. “Early in their careers, they were all making a solid living, had no debt or college loans, owned homes and were starting to build and support their own families,” he adds. “They remain some of my best friends today, and a huge part of why I've put so much energy into building BRUNT.”
Creating Workwear Products
Girouard has sought to reinvent the workwear category from boots to apparel.
“First, we spent a lot of time working side-by-side with my buddies in the trades obsessing over how to develop products and solutions that make real workers' lives easier” so workers can focus their time and energy on work-related matters, he notes.
The next priority has been to provide an option that sells directly to workers online that removes the costs associated with retail mark-ups associated with bricks-and-mortar stores such as rent and utilities, Girouard says.
“Even though my buddies have the means to buy any workwear on the market, they shouldn't be overpaying for the tools they wear to do their jobs,” he notes. “Guys like them are the backbone of this country, and they deserve more.”
The company’s boot offerings include 13 choices. They are waterproof and slip and oil-resistant with a safety toe and adjustable width. The boots are electrical hazard rated in sizes 7 to 16. The adjustable width is made possible by a removable gray shim that can take the boot from a regular fit (D) to relaxed fit (E+) for those who have a wider foot or prefer more room.
The best seller in the boots category is the soft-toe Marin, which meets ASTM F2892-18 standards, as does the company’s other boot offerings.
Workwear Apparel and Gear
The company’s apparel offerings include three offerings of pants, including the Whitman, which features ultra-flexible, four-way stretch materials, built-in abrasion resistance, a premium durable water repellent (DWR) finish and reinforced high-wear areas. BRUNT Workwear offers the Martin and Marin Bundle of work pants and shoes for one price.
The company also has one offering of shorts, a belt, four short-sleeve T-shirts, and four hoodies, including the Coady Full-Zip designed with flexible, two-way stretch materials, moisture-wicking material with DWR finish, built-in abrasion resistance at the elbows and reinforced high-wear areas. It also features a hard hat compatible hood, chin guard, a hidden tech pocket, extra length to prevent updrafts, ribbed openings to keep the elements out, zippered hand pockets, catch-all corners and an oversized belly pocket.
The Couvee jacket features a chin guard, wind guard, abrasion-resistant shoulder patches, zippered chest pockets, articulated sleeves, reinforced elbow patches, a hidden tech pocket, abrasion-resistant material, zippered hand pockets, water repellent finish, interior drop-in pocket, quilted lining with 80 GSM insulation and needle-reinforced stitching.
New to the BRUNT Workwear line-up are an offering of hats and beanies. In the hats category, the company offers a line of curved brim and flat brimmed snapbacks, a sun hat and four beanie choices.
Also a new offering in the company’s product line-up is the McKenna Sun Hoodie. Its key features include UPF 50+ sun protection and raglan sleeves to allow full range of motion. It is quick-drying and moisture-wicking to evaporate sweat quickly. Additionally, BRUNT Workwear offers a Class 2 ANSI-certified hi-visibility safety vest with a zipper closure, and silver reflective tape, performance socks and leather care conditioner and a leather care kit for the boots.
