Belstaff names James Norton as creative collaborator

British heritage brand Belstaff has named actor James Norton as its newbrand ambassador and creative collaborator.

The role will see Norton featuring in the Belstaff autumn/winter 2020campaign captured by photographer Blair Getz Mezibov with reportage imagesby Cat Garcia on the Dorset coast, where the rising star will “begin ajourney that will build through the seasons to come”.

Belstaff explains in a statement that Norton will “explore themes ofgrit and spirit, self-reliance and restlessness, inspiring wandererseverywhere as the world begins to find new ways to explore again”.

The campaign will be released in five parts with campaign stills andvideo, with Norton appearing in a selection of Belstaff’s built for lifeicons, including the New Milford coat, Westlake and Dennison shearlingjackets and the iconic waxed cotton Trialmaster.

Norton was chosen by the brand as a collaborator following hisappearance on its The Road Less Travelled podcast series, where they stateit was clear that the actor’s “quintessential Britishness would be anatural fit,” while adding that Norton shares many of the brand’s corevalues.

Actor James Norton to co-design a collection with Belstaff for spring2021

Sean Lehnhardt-Moore, creative director at Belstaff, said: “We have along history of outfitting adventurous individuals. James is a natural fitfor us: he’s driven in his pursuit of excellence, always ready to exploreand unafraid of striking out in new directions. Working with him is apleasure, and we look forward to his future with Belstaff.”

Belstaff’s partnership with Norton will continue into spring 2021 withthe release of a limited-edition collection of jackets, co-designed by theactor and Lehnhardt-Moore. Further details of the collaboration areexpected next year.

Norton added: “I am proud to wear Belstaff, it is a classic Britishbrand with a great heritage. I have owned a Trialmaster jacket for yearsand I love it - it’s like a second skin, I love all the scratches and markson the jacket that document your own adventures.

“Having had the chance to have a peek at the Belstaff archive, I saw aton of incredible designs, each timeless in their own way and I lookforward to celebrating these classic designs in our future collaborations.”

Belstaff opens new store in New York City with workshop concept

The ad campaign coincides with the opening of Belstaff’s latest store in New York. The Britishbrand has returned to the city with a 2,000 square foot space on GansevoortStreet, following its exit from its previous New York City location onMadison Avenue last year.

The new boutique features the brand’s “world-first workshop concept”that allows customers the opportunity to restore, repair, rewax and altertheir existing and newly bought pieces, as well as being a community hubfor makers and creators, as part of Belstaff’s new community-first retailapproach.

The store also offers a new ‘Build Your Own’ service, allowing customersto personalise their Belstaff Trialmaster with monogramming, patchapplication, chain stitch embroidery, custom laser design, hand-paintedleather and vintage finishing, alongside a range of exclusive limitedproducts, including vintage denim and military bags sourced within the US,a range of vintage Belstaff products, and New York-specific offerings suchas T-shirts and bandanas by designers Fred DiMeglio and Glenn Wolk.

"This new store is more than just a home for the iconic outerwear anddependable outfitting we’ve come to be known for,” states Belstaff on itssocial media. “At the heart of Belstaff Meatpacking is the all-newworkshop, where a team of makers share their skills.”

Images: courtesy of Belstaff