Belstaff is a clothing brand owned by UK chemicals companyIneos. The company was founded in 1924 by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. The name Belstaff is a combination of Eli's surname and his Staffordshire home. Belstaff was the first company to use wax cotton in the manufacturing of waterproof apparel for motorcycling.
History
Belstaff was Founded in 1924 by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. 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, Stoke-on-Trent factory after previously closing its Silverdale site. James Halstead continued to own the brand selling the Belstaff motorcycle range along with helmet brands until 2004. Alongside this they promoted the fashion side across Europe, Australia and the USA. The brand was sold in 2004 to Franco Malenotti of Sponsor SA Italy. Kate Moss was paid £1million to appear in Belstaff ads. In June 2011, Harry Slatkin and The Labelux Group bought Belstaff. Slatkin assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and appointed Martin Cooper as Chief Creative Officer and together, they planned to reposition Belstaff as an English heritage brand centred on luxury sportswear. Tommy Hilfiger was brought in as a business consultant. In 2012 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. In July 2014, along with Jimmy Choo and Bally, Belstaff was fully integrated into its parent group JAB Luxury GmbH. In 2015 Belstaff and Legs Media made a 17 minute commercial, Outlaws, with David Beckham, Harvey Keitel, Katherine Waterston and Cathy Moriarty. In early 2016 Belstaff made a 3-minute commercial, Falling Up, in which Liv Tyler retraces the footsteps of 1920s aviator Amelia Earhart. Delphine Ninous became men's and women's Creative Director in July 2016. In 2017 Belstaff opened a store in Ginza Six, Tokyo. In late 2017 Belstaff was bought by UK company INEOS. Helen Wright was appointed CEO in 2018. Sean Lehnhardt-Moore became the new creative director in 2018.
