Belstaff collaborates with Blackhorse Lane on sustainable denim

Belstaff has launched a sustainable denim capsule collection with London-based atelier Blackhorse Lane, who manufacture selvedge and organic raw denim garments with a focus on sustainability.

The capsule has been designed and manufactured with Belstaff’s brand ethos ‘Built for Life’ at the forefront and features denim jeans, jackets, for men and women, and a tote bag.

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, founded by Han Ates in 2016, is London’s only craft jean maker and its team hand-made the denim collection, working with Belstaff on unique design features, such as copper rivets, co-branded buttons, natural herringbone internal waistbands, and cognac leather patches with dual branding.

The atelier has become known for its local and eco-conscious approach to denim by only using organic cotton and denim woven in Europe to minimise the environmental impact of the creation of the raw materials.

The Belstaff x Blackhorse Lane collection is all made from 14oz Redline Selvedge denim from Isko, which uses environmentally friendly processes and production techniques. The denim’s carbon footprint is also low as it is milled very close to where it’s grown, explains Belstaff in the press release.

By using selvedge denim, the collection has been “built for life” added Belstaff, as it is one of the most hardwearing materials, but with a soft hand. This type of denim also ages very well, taking on the “marks and whiskers of the owner and often getting better as the denim is worn in”.

The British heritage brand will also showcase how to care for this denim to ensure the jeans last the test of time, with tutorials and information shared on social channels and online.

Belstaff launches sustainable denim collection with Blackhorse Lane Ateliers

The collection includes the men’s Union jacket, a classic trucker silhouette, and the Union jean, a mid-rise, straight leg silhouette with a selvedge outside leg seam. The women’s Marilyn jacket takes the trucker silhouette adding a feminine fit, and the Marilyn jean is a high rise, tapered leg silhouette.

In addition, Belstaff has added a unisex Union bag, which includes a natural herringbone pocket with a natural cotton webbing shoulder strap and zip closure.

Belstaff’s creative director, Sean Lehnhardt-Moore said of the collaboration in a statement: “Belstaff is proud to work with Blackhorse Lane Ateliers in London on an exciting new range of selvedge denim. Tailoring innovation meets heritage construction with a focus on style, sustainability and unmatched quality. We too believe their jeans, jackets and bags are the some of the best in class and we are excited about this union.”

Han Ates, founder of Blackhorse Lane Atelier, added: “Craftsmanship is the beginning of everything. An appreciation for heritage and respect for our communities is something we share with Belstaff. 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 and look forward to continuing our work with Belstaff in the future.”

Prices for the collection start from 175 pounds.

Images: courtesy of Belstaff