Belstaff
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011) |
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| Industry | Clothing |
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| Founded | Longton, Staffordshire, UK (1924) |
| Founder(s) | Eli Belovitch and Harry Grosberg |
| Headquarters | Mogliano Veneto, Italy |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Labelux Group GmbH[1] |
| Website | www.belstaff.com |
Belstaff, an English brand, founded in Longton, Staffordshire in 1924, is a garment manufacturer best known for producing high-performance waterproof jackets. The company is now Italian-owned and based in Mogliano Veneto.
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[edit] History
Founded in 1924 by Eli Belovitch and his son in law Harry Grosberg in Staffordshire, Belstaff produced all-weather jackets for motorcyclists, and was the first company to ever use waxed cotton. The company later created weather-protective jackets for other uses, goggles (primarily for the growing aviation market), gloves and several other garments intended to keep the wearer warm, dry and safe.
Belstaff became a subsidiary of James Halstead in 1948–a company also famous in later years for the success of the Australian brand Driza-Bone.
In the 1980s, Belstaff diversified into the golf wear market.
The company was hit hard by the textile crisis of the 1990s precipitating the closure of the Longton Stoke-on-Trent factory after previously closing its Silverdale site. Moving to Wellingborough, production was vastly reduced. The range was also manufactured in Australia by a sister company Driza-Bone. The company grew again and in 1994 introduced Belfresh, a waterproof/breathable fabric.
Today, Belstaff markets products to the Far East, Russia, the United States, Australia, South America and Europe.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Deeny, Godfrey (10 June 2011), "Labelex Buys Belstaff", Fashion Wire Daily (New York), http://www.fashionwiredaily.com/first_word/news/article.weml?id=3590, retrieved 21 June 2011
[edit] References
- 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. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/how-did-an-oldfashioned-british-manufacturer-of-motorbike-clobber-become-the-label-of-choice-for-the-hollywood-set-1859743.html. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
