Belstaff, a British brand, founded in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 1924 by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg â€" the name is a combination of Eli's surname and his Staffordshire home. Belstaff became the first company to use wax cotton in the manufacturing of waterproof apparel for motorcycling.
In 2011, The Labelux group acquired Belstaff and repositioned it as a British heritage brand centred on luxury sportswear. Tommy Hilfiger was brought in as a business consultant. In July 2014, along with Jimmy Choo and Bally, Belstaff was fully integrated into its parent group JAB Luxury GmbH. JAB management now directly oversee the brand.
History
1924
Founded by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.
1948
Belstaff became a subsidiary of James Halstead. This was also the year Belstaff released its Trialmaster 4-pocket jacket. The jacket was designed to endure the weather conditions in the UK during the Scottish Six Days Trial.
1990s
The company was affected by the textile crisis of the 1990s precipitating the closure of the Longton, Stoke-on-Trent factory after previously closing its Silverdale site.
In 1993 Kate Moss - in one of her first fashion shoots modeled a Belstaff collection
2006
Kate Moss featured in advertising campaigns for which she was reported to have been paid £1million.
2011
In June 2011, Harry Slatkin along with The Labelux Group, acquired Belstaff. Slatkin assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and, in July 2011, appointed Martin Cooper as Chief Creative Officer and together, they planned to transform the brand.
2012
The company opened stores in Via della Spiga Milan, in New Bond Street London and on Madison Avenue, New York City. The interiors were designed by Bill Sofield.
2015
Belstaff produced a short film in partnership with Legs Media and, executively produced by Liv Tyler, called OUTLAWS. The film featured David Beckham in his first ever serious film role and co-starred Harvey Keitel, Katherine Waterston and Cathy Moriarty.
2016
Belstaff produced a short film, starring Liv Tyler called Falling Up, where she retraces the footsteps of 1920s aviator Amelia Earhart. Tyler also collaborated on a capsule collection for AW16.
References
Notes
External links
- Official website
