When you think about Belstaff, the 98-year-old brand from Staffordshire in England, you might recall its rugged 4-pocket Trialmaster jacket (created in 1948 on the occasion of the 32nd Scottish Six Days Motorcycle Trial), or picture the likes of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman donning its outerwear to navigate the globe on two wheels. But to assume that Belstaff is simply a biker brand would be selling it short, because at its heart is an enduring sense of adventure and spirit of independence.

Take, for instance, the leather trench coat and flight suit that it created for aviatrixes Amelia Earhart and Amy Johnson in the 1920s and ’30s, or the cagoule designed for mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington as he became the first person to scale Pakistan’s “the Ogre” peak in ’77. The brand has long responded to the climatic, topographic and physical demands of unbounded adventuring.

With a history like that, how could any designer not feel compelled to uphold such a passion for exploration? Creative director Sean Lehnhardt-Moore certainly was: ‘These days, I find myself thinking more about how a genuine, consistent and reliable brand such as Belstaff can evolve and develop. For the autumn/winter 22 collection, we looked back in order to move forwards, referencing legacy designs to create products that people can relate to, while cultivating a lasting relationship,’ he explains.

Nevertheless, it is nearly a century since the brand began creating clothes for adventurers, and combining this heritage with the realities of a modern lifestyle is no easy feat. Lehnhardt-Moore’s answer is to be bold and innovative – an approach that is also fittingly Belstaff. ‘Great styles, strong colours and technical pieces are only part of the equation,’ he says. ‘The other key part is having the confidence to mix them back in with our core product, including waxed cotton, leather and shearling outerwear, to create a new way of dressing that is both unexpected and a natural continuation of the Belstaff brand.’

This evolution is best evidenced in the reimagining of an archival 1970s Royal Navy windproof smock, as design details including curved pockets, snaps, trims and stitching are seen throughout the new collection. Then there is the ongoing collaboration with Gore-Tex, which sees the two brands partner for down-filled, taped-seam outerwear that is water- and windproof to protect you in harsh conditions. Performance merino wool and jersey are abundant, leather is treated for water resistance and the special high-shine nylon is densely woven from recycled threads. There are still glimmers of the brand’s greatest hits – the Trialmaster is refreshed and complemented by the aforementioned technical layers, shearling is still a major component, and the leather jackets are as handsome as ever.

But perhaps the jewel in this collection is Wave Dye Nylon – a new fabric that Belstaff has developed using entirely recycled materials and a special hand-dyeing technique to achieve a mottled two-tone appearance. No two pieces of the fabric are ever the same, so you can expect any Wave Dye garment to be completely unique.

Before founding Belstaff, Eli Belovitch was an expert in weatherproof fabrics, creating waterproof capes, groundsheets and more for the British Army in the 1900s, and later outfitting the Royal Navy. His brand’s progression in 2022 then, with performance materials and water-resistant fabrics, would be right up Belovitch’s street.

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