Belstaff took us up North as they turned the dreary Ewer Street Arches into an artic terrain as the backdrop to showcase their Autumn-Winter 2016 collection.
The vast monochrome collection is full of fur and leather, and matches style with comfort and protection from the elements. The modular hoods and linings keep you warm, protect you from the rain and keep you looking your best. It’d look great on while hiking up a mountain, but equally as amazing on a walk down the streets of London in January.
I don’t believe, practicality should take precedence over style unless you live in extreme weather conditions. However, a successful collection is one in which these two elements co-exist harmoniously, as Belstaff has well achieved in their Arctic themed menswear. Aptly titled "Heading North", the AW16 collection combines Belstaff's heritage designs with the durability of cold-weather gear, thereby providing the warmest winter wardrobe.
To highlight Belstaff's approach to the collection, the brick railway arches on Ewer Street became the backdrop for a bleak and frosty scene, complete with snow and slate underfoot, and jaggered snow covered boulders adding the rugged vibe, complete with Harley Davidson military motorcycles and a converted Triumph Tiger XCX fit for the frosty conditions. The models, too, appeared set for a winter expedition, clothed in the cosiest outerwear, including wax-cotton jackets with detachable fur and shearling trims, duck-down parka jackets with fur-trimmed hoods, and water-repellent wool and cashmere overcoats. This is an autumn/winter collection that takes its season seriously, illustrating a journey that takes you through tough terrains, snowy mountains and icy glaciers in comfort and style, considering the weather we’ve been having lately, the pieces were perfect for surviving a British winter just as much as an expedition.
This season, new heights were reached quite literally as the theme of the collection focused on high altitude adventure riding. In a way, Belstaff are lucky in that they can pin collections to aspects of their moto/adventure/military heritage, but to pull it off in a luxury manner that doesn’t alienate old-school Belstaff fans is no easy feat. That said, Dyhr and his team are making it look easy. For AW16, detailing was key: rib cuffs, snow skirts, storm bibs, fur-lined hoods, all applied to the brand’s growing collection of iconic jacket styles in both wax cotton and leather.
Never straying too far from the signature outerwear styles pioneered by Belstaff, this season focused on technical precision and adaptability for versatile weather conditions. Removable membranes and detachable shearling are examples of obvious climate changing features, however the brand has been developing technically advanced nylon/fleece combinations for hoodies and lightweight cashmere for motorcycle scarves. Biker jackets come in oiled Nubuck styles filled with down, while powder white four-pocket parkas feature fur-trimmed hoods and engineered wool and nylon linings to insulate. Other styles to come in a variety of leathers, water repellent wools and nylons include the classic Speedmaster, Aviator and a rendered 1950’s style Riding jacket adapted for today’s modern motorcycle rider.
Key accessories were developed for Belstaff’s latest collection, aptly named ‘The Masters’, including six bag style shapes in 3 various fabrications, including waxy leather and rough textured nylon.
Belstaff was chosen as a sole partner to celebrate the new 'Zoolander 2' film during London Collections Men with the creation of a bespoke Ciroc cocktail conjuring up both the cold and Zoolanders classic pose 'Blue Steel', which was being served in abundance. A cocktail which was simply as creative as the collection itself.
Written By Li Thane-Kitson