New to the neighborhood: Meet Belstaff

If you’re looking for quality craftsmanship and durability in your clothes then Belstaff is for you. The iconic, 100-year-old, British brand opened its doors in Meatpacking this past month. Read on to hear why Meatpacking was selected for the site of its NYC store and what makes the space unique. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the Belstaff team and watch Belstaff CEO, Helen Wright, on Meatpacking Unpacked.

Why Meatpacking? What was part of the appeal in opening a location in the Meatpacking District?

With its industrial heritage and vibrant art and design community, the Meatpacking District is the perfect home for our New York store, reflecting Belstaff’s industrial heritage, community focus, and the vibrancy of our people and product. Our new store brings Belstaff back into the city that never sleeps, providing a new home for the iconic outerwear and dependable outfitting that we’ve come to be known for.

It’s an exciting time to be in Gansevoort and we are the first brand to be opening our doors on the regenerated part of this street. We’ll be in good company though, with local neighbors of the likes of Pastis, The Whitney, WeWork, and Soho House all helping to create a vibrant community.

Belstaff Store NYC

Belstaff Store NYC

What makes this Belstaff location unique? Tell us about the workshop.

The spirit of our brand and our new store space is creativity and inclusivity. As part of our community-first approach, the space will be used by makers and creators from the local community and beyond, and will host workshops to teach and share skills.

We are excited to be opening The Workshop, a world-first concept exclusive to Belstaff and to the New York store. It is an innovative and dynamic space that’s an iteration of our design philosophy on responsible fashion, with live repairs, restorations, and renewed items being worked on there – services range from complimentary re-waxing to monogramming and custom laser design.

Belstaff Store NYC

Belstaff Store NYC

Belstaff Store NYC

Everyone is invited to pop into the store and check out the Workshop space or ask our team for more details. Make sure you also follow our social channels, to keep up to date with our latest news.

As a nearly 100-year-old brand with the philosophy “Built for Life,” how has the brand evolved over the years?

We’ve been making clothes for those who want to push the limits for close to a century, and while our approach to outerwear and outfitting remains firmly focussed on those functional pieces that last a lifetime, our approach to stores has adapted to create an approachable, comfortable space for our customers to safely spend time, meet our team, and be inspired. 

We’ve spent the past two years revitalizing this great British heritage brand. We’ve shifted our focus beyond jackets and motorcycles – adding great new products and new categories to attract new buyers, while still appealing to existing customers. Our design philosophy is built for life, and quality craftsmanship and durability are built into every step of our process.

Belstaff Store NYC

Your brand focuses specifically on local makers and creators within the surrounding communities and you’ve already partnered with Jimmy DiResta, Glenn Wolk, Aly Reinert, and Christine Rucci for opening. How do you go about determining partners for Belstaff? 

We’ve always had a strong presence in New York, and our Creative Director Sean Lehnhardt-Moore worked together with Christine on putting together our creator’s team for The Workshop. The Workshop will host a program of community events with local and global makers and creators, from denim masterclasses to letterpress printing. The first in the series will be a workshop hosted by ‘Man vs Ink’, the Belstaff maker Fred DiMeglio – a designer and screen printer – where customers will be invited to create their own bandanas in store.

Belstaff Store NYC

Our latest global partnership is one we are excited to share. This month saw the launch of our “Long Way” collection. We worked with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman to co-design a capsule collection worn throughout their journey in the new Apple TV+ Original series “Long Way Up”. The on and off-bike collection is available in stores and online now. 

We also just launched our latest Ambassador James Norton. The British rising star will be seen on billboards on Hudson Street and across Meatpacking. 

We’re always on the look for creative people, so definitely keep your eyes peeled on our social channels for exciting launches.  

Are there any unique items at the New York store that you can’t get at other Belstaff stores?

Besides the Workshop offering and upcycled product, which is unique to our New York store, our Creative Director Sean Lehnhardt-Moore has curated a selection of exclusive products for the New York store launch including bandanas, vintage Belstaff waxed cotton jackets, an assortment of vintage denim and vintage military bags, all sourced in the US by Christine Rucci. There’s also a limited edition Meatpacking t-shirt available from the store. The exclusive product is available in addition to the brand’s Icons range and Autumn/Winter 20 collections.

Belstaff Store NYC