Belstaff: A potted History
Belstaff were formed by Harry Grosberg and his father in 1924 while based in Staffordshire, England. Their original product line consisted of waterproof clothing for men and women. They were the first to use "breathable" waterproof technologies, called Wax Cotton. This consisted of a very fine Egyptian cotton treated with natural oils, making it waterproof while leaving the cotton's excellent "breathing" characteristics unaffected. Developing this material enabled them to branch into more advanced clothing and to specialise in manufacturing protection wear for the motorcyclist, and specialised clothing for aviators, the army and anyone of that ilk. They also started to make helmets, bags, goggles and gloves, all refined and enhanced to make safety and protection paramount.
Belstaff today is the only garment manufacturer producing high technology jackets in 100% natural fabrics. The synthetic materials sector is, however, not disregarded by Belstaff.
At the start of the 1990's, things got very tough in the UK textile industry and forced Belstaff to close their stoke on Trent factory. However, around this time Belstaff's apparel gained enormously in popularity in the USA, notably thru' the film industry, films such as Batman Begins, Blade Trinity, Oceans Twelve, War of the Worlds and many more. The Aviator collection by Belstaff inspired by original apparel in Belstaff's museum, was launched in 2005. This clothing was made in the 1930's and 1940's to protect flyers in extreme weather conditions was chosen by Miramax for the costumes of the film "The Aviator" starring Leonardo Di Caprio. Since this interest Belstaff has gone from strength to strength, adding new ranges, developing new materials and now with a flagship store in London!