Belstaff Celebrate Their 100 Year Anniversary in Their Hometown Stoke-On-Trent

May 30, 2024

To celebrate its centenary, Belstaff returned to its hometown of Longton, Stoke-On-Trent, from Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th May, taking over the Gladstone Pottery Museum. The brand chartered the British Belmond Pullman Train from London to Longton, hosting over 150 VIP guests for an exclusive preview of its archive exhibition, showcasing the evolution of some of their most iconic pieces.

This exhibition showcased Belstaff's journey from industrial innovators in the Midlands to leaders in motorcycle and outdoor, all-weather clothing. A special kiln space highlighted Belstaff's unique connection to motorcycling, featuring the iconic Trialmaster and Steve McQueen's original jacket. The exhibition also displayed historic outerwear, including pieces designed for Sir Chris Bonington's legendary 1977 climb of 'The Ogre'.

Earlier this year, Belstaff released a new coffee table book, 'Belstaff: Our First 100 Years,' detailing the brand's history and extensive research archive. Collaborating with top vintage collectors worldwide, Belstaff sourced some of its earliest archive pieces for the book, many of which were exhibited for the first time.

Belstaff Our First 100 Years Centenary Book

The weekend also marked the final stage of Belstaff's inaugural Cloudmaster project, a talent incubator and prize fund for emerging designers, in partnership with the Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University. Finalists' designs were prototyped and displayed at Gladstone, with Hadisa Ahmad Tabussam winning first prize, and Ari Nendran, Eloise Ford, and Freya Lucas as runners up.

People have always been central to Belstaff, and the weekend included various social activities to give back to the local community. A reunion for ex-factory workers was held at Gladstone on Saturday, 25th May, celebrating those who helped build the business. The Archive Yard Sale on Sunday, 26th May, featured top archive and vintage collectors in a special market.

Belstaff raised -10,950 from ticket sales over the weekend, with all proceeds donated to Friends of the Potteries Museum, supporting The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and The Gladstone Pottery Museum.