For those with an interest in history and a sense of adventure – and fashion of course – the Belstaff AW16 campaign will be a breath of fresh air, bringing to life a phrase used when mankind first mapped the world. Unexplored places were marked with phrase ‘Here Be Dragons’ to strike fear into any would-be adventurers. But this threat only drove people to actively seek out these places, to go beyond their confines and discover the unknown. It became a challenge many were entreated to overcome – that is the essence of the “Here Be Dragons” campaign, which aims to inspire audiences to go beyond the limitations they may place around themselves and see those boundaries as invitations to where to head to next.
Our latest campaign is as true to the Belstaff brand today as it always has been and aims to inspire audiences to go beyond their boundaries in the knowledge they are accompanied and protected in iconic style by their trusted Belstaff.”
~ Gavin Haig, CEO, Belstaff
Brought to life by agency Droga5 London, the shoot was taken to an ‘otherworldly’ place. Christian Weber – noted more for his film work, and collaborations with performance artists – was enlisted. Iconic model Mark Vanderloo was persuaded to come out of retirement, and to partner him breakthrough Serbian model Mijo Mihaljcic was chosen. The ‘couple’ were photographed in rugged landscapes that appear uncharted; the sorts of far-flung places that would be hard to reach unless one’s instincts took them beyond their comfort zone.
“Belstaff has a long and rich history of creating clothes designed for the more adventurous amongst us, yet today the world is all discovered, all knowing – the boundaries we once strived to push past no longer hold such esteem. We can go online and travel to any place on the planet without having to leave the comfort of our chair.”
~ David Kolbusz, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 London
The campaign was first unveiled on a 96 sheet billboard in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent – the town of Belstaff’s birth in 1924 – on Tuesday. The brand’s return and re-embracement of its roots was celebrated by twelve-time Trial World Champion Dougie Lampkin MBE performing his famous two-wheel routines (bike stunts) in front of the Billboard in Stoke-on-Trent. Dougie’s late father Martin and uncles Arthur and Alan (aka Sid) – all previous champions and icons of the biking fraternity – all wore Belstaff, and hence he is more than proud to continue the tradition.
BELSTAFF.com
