Belstaff waxes fashionable

There is a new name in the eyewear market with the launch of Belstaff, a brand that has pedigree in making no-nonsense clothing for active people. Rory Brogan explores

Belstaff, whose frames and sunglasses are now available to the UK market, is experiencing rapid growth worldwide as befits a brand with a logo of a rising phoenix.

Belstaff has a rich history, having been set up in Stoke-on-Trent in 1924 and was the first company in the world to use a breathable and waterproof fabric in its Wax Cotton. Looking back, it can claim some very famous wearers of its Trailmaster motorbike jackets in Che Guevara, Lawrence of Arabia and Steve McQueen. In fact, a waxed cotton Belstaff jacket, part of the Steve McQueen Collection, was sold for $28,000 at a Bonhams & Butterfields auction in Los Angeles last weekend, on an estimate of $2,000 to $4,000.