BELSTAFF LOOKS TO ITS BRITISH MILITARY HERITAGE FOR FALL COLLECTION

Modern British heritage brand Belstaff unveiled its autumn/winter 2017 collection on Monday, January 9 during the final day of London Fashion Week Men’s.

For this season, menswear and womenswear were both inspired by the brand’s military heritage: the “Jolly Roger” naval and submariner-inspired collection is both tribute and testament to the clothing worn by the British Royal Navy throughout World War II.

Classic maritime silhouettes such as the pea coat and duffle coat have been reproduced in luxury Melton wool, while waterproof hand-waxed cotton and leather reinforce the functionality of naval outerwear. The parka plays an integral role this season, emphasized by a technical foul-weather version based on a Belstaff archive piece that was created for the military in 1960.

Sharing the same color palette across menswear and womenswear, this season focuses on industrial tones of red, brown, blue and military green, particularly throughout Belstaff’s core pieces. Charcoal grey, black and true navy form a base from which emerge brighter hues such as spruce teal, cardinal red and burnished gold.

“The formal naval-inspired pieces are contrasted with a more rugged and free-spirited look appropriate to downtime on the docks,” said Delphine Ninous, collection creative director for Belstaff. “This sense of temporary escapism is reflected in edgier elements such as naval tattoo designs and the Jolly Roger flag, giving a sense of rebellion and individuality.”

“Belstaff has a history in dressing the British Navy and we wanted to tap into this inspiration, especially considering our progression in the field of innovation in materials, silhouettes, functionality and protection with this collection,” added Gavin Haig, CEO of Belstaff. “We are proud to be finally presenting an evenly shared presentation between men’s and women’s and be one of the first brands to do so in the London schedule.”