Belstaff x Blackhorse Lane Denim Collection

For denim lovers, this must rate as one of the most exciting collaborations of the year: heritage brand Belstaff has teamed up with London’s only craft jean maker, Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, to create a dream denim collection.

The two brands are perfectly aligned in terms of their design philosophies – both are focused on sustainability, community and quality. Belstaff has been making beautifully crafted, highly technical pieces for nearly 100 years – hence the motto “built for life” – while Blackhorse Lane uses only organic cotton and denim woven in Europe.

This stylish capsule collection includes the men’s Union jacket, a classic trucker silhouette, and the Union jean, a mid-rise, straight-leg. For women, there’s the Marilyn jacket, a feminine version of the trucker shape, along with the Marilyn jean, which features a high-rise, tapered-leg. You can also accessorise with the unisex Union bag, complete with natural herringbone pocket and cotton webbing shoulder strap.

Belstaff aficionados will be pleased to see that one of the brand’s oldest logos is referenced in the collection with the Bell and Staff graphic, combined with the Blackhorse Lane logo. The jacket and jeans feature a pocket flasher that also references a heritage Belstaff swing-tag from the 1950s.

Naturally, the collection is built for life. It is crafted from 14oz Redline Selvedge denim, one of the most hardwearing, premium materials, which ages well over time and often ends up looking better! Produced by the world’s leading denim brand, ISKO, the denim boasts a low carbon footprint as it is milled close to where it’s grown and then produced on vintage shuttle looms from the 1960s.

To show people how to care for their denim so the jeans stand the test of time, there are tutorials and information available on Belstaff’s social channels and online – a community-first approach shared by Blackhorse Lane, which even has its own allotment (where it plans to grow Japanese indigo) near its East London factory.

Belstaff creative director Sean Lehnhardt describes the collaboration as “tailoring innovation meets heritage construction with a focus on style, sustainability and unmatched quality”. Adds Blackhorse Lane founder Han Ates: “With production having to slow last year during the lockdowns we had to work with a smaller team who took over seven months to carefully produce the collection by hand, something we are very proud of.”

The collection is available online now.

belstaff.co.uk