Belstaff

Last updated
Belstaff
IndustryClothing
FoundedLongton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK (1924 (1924))
FounderEli Belovitch and Harry Grosberg
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
Parent Ineos
Website www.belstaff.com

Belstaff is a British clothing company founded in 1924 which pioneered the use of wax cotton in the manufacturing of waterproof apparel for motorcycling. [1] [2] It was co-founded by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire; [3] "Belstaff" is a portmanteau combination of "Belovitch" and "Staffordshire". The brand is owned by Castore as of August 2025.

Contents

History

Belstaff was founded in 1924 by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. [3] In 1948, Belstaff became a subsidiary of James Halstead. The company was affected by the textile crisis of the 1990s, precipitating the closure of the Longton factory after previously closing its Silverdale site. James Halstead continued to own the brand selling the Belstaff motorcycle range and helmet brands until 2004. Alongside this, they promoted the fashion side across Europe, Australia, and the US. The brand was sold in 2004 to Franco Malenotti of Sponsor SA Italy. [4] Kate Moss was paid £1,000,000 to appear in Belstaff ads. [5]

In June 2011, Harry Slatkin and The Labelux Group bought Belstaff. [6] Slatkin assumed the CEO role and appointed Martin Cooper as Chief Creative Officer, and together, they planned to reposition Belstaff as an English heritage brand centred on luxury sportswear. [7] Tommy Hilfiger was brought in as a business consultant. [8]

In 2012, the company opened stores in Via Della Spiga Milan, New Bond Street, London and Madison Avenue, New York City. [9]

In July 2014, along with Jimmy Choo and Bally, Belstaff was acquired by JAB Luxury. In 2015, Belstaff produced a 17-minute commercial, Outlaws, with appearances by David Beckham, Harvey Keitel, Katherine Waterston and Cathy Moriarty. [10] [ citation needed ] In early 2016, Belstaff made a 3-minute commercial, Falling Up, in which Liv Tyler retraces the footsteps of 1920s aviator Amelia Earhart. [11] [12] Delphine Ninous became Creative Director in July 2016. [13]

In 2017, Belstaff opened a store in Ginza Six, Tokyo. [14] The same year it was bought by Ineos, owned by Jim Ratcliffe. [15]

In January 2018, Helen Wright was appointed CEO of the company, and in May the change also involved the creative direction with Sean Lehnhardt-Moore taking over from Delphine Ninous. [16]

Fran Millar was appointed CEO in 2020, leaving her position at the UCI World Tour cycling team, the Ineos Grenadiers. [17]

In 2019, Belstaff closed its Madison Avenue store, and in 2020 opened a store in the Meatpacking District. [18]

On 28 August 2025 Belstaff was sold to UK clothing brand Castore as part of a strategic investment by INEOS into Castore [19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ian, Burrell (9 January 2010). "How did an old-fashioned British manufacturer of motorbike clobber become the label of choice for the Hollywood set?". The Independent. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  2. ↑ English, Tressie (17 December 2020). "Goodwood Revival 2011: Belstaff and Barbour". Leather Jacket . Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 "How Belstaff Became The Coolest British Outerwear Brand Of All Time - Maxim". www.maxim.com. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  4. ↑ "Anthony Bunn: Belstaff's Stoke-on-Trent origins". Stoke Sentinel. 2013-12-18. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  5. ↑ metrowebukmetro (2006-07-17). "Kate goes hell for leather". Metro. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  6. ↑ "Brands > Belstaff". Labelux Group. Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  7. ↑ "Belstaff Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review". Style.com. 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  8. ↑ Alexander, Ella (15 June 2011). "Tommy's New Job > Belstaff". Vogue.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Crivelli, Giulia (24 February 2012). "Belstaff: location, just prime ones - Moda 24". Moda24.ilsole24ore.com. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  10. ↑ Pithers, Ellie (22 September 2015). "Beckham makes lead role debut for Belstaff – but acting career isn't on the cards". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  11. ↑ "Falling Up: Liv Tyler stars in Belstaff film-Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  12. ↑ Jones, Nina (2016-02-22). "Liv Tyler Previews Belstaff Collection". WWD. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  13. ↑ Hoang, Limei (1 July 2016). "Designer Shake-Up at Belstaff". Business of Fashion.
  14. ↑ Man, Pui-Guan (11 January 2018). "Belstaff hires former Anya Hindmarch CEO". Drapers.
  15. ↑ Murphy, Hannah (30 October 2017). "UK's Ineos buys motorcycle fashion group Belstaff" . The Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  16. ↑ "Belstaff, cambio alla direzione creativa". Pambianconews notizie e aggiornamenti moda, lusso e made in Italy (in Italian). 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  17. ↑ Ballinger, Alex (2020-10-08). "Sir Dave Brailsford: 'We continued to work with our heads down, we didn't notice other teams were overtaking us'". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  18. ↑ Lockwood, Lisa (2020-09-01). "Belstaff Moves Into New Home in Meatpacking District". WWD. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  19. ↑ "Castore completes the acquisition of Belstaff".
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