Belstaff Regent Street re-opens with branded Ketley Quarry

“The architects wanted to evoke the atmosphere of a Midlands motorbike workshop and had been looking at brick slips. When they discovered that Solus Ketley Quarry was made 30 miles from the original headquarters of Belstaff, they were delighted. It gave them the opportunity to represent the brand’s values and history in the materiality of the space.” David Sherry, Solus Sales Manager.

Maja Bernvill, Chief Creative Officer at architects Specific Generic, elucidated the design process, “We were talking about the evolution of motorbikes, since this heritage is so important to the brand. And that’s where this future garage idea came in: it’s where the journey starts and ends, where you prepare for the journey, and where you bring memories and souvenirs back from the road.”

Solus created a bespoke brick slip engraved with the Belstaff logo, and NW Architects from Leeds completed the fit out with 200 metres of Solus Ketley Quarry in Smoke. The design has been so well-received that Belstaff have applied it to another store in Cheshire Oaks.

Belstaff’s flagship store in Mayfair is now open, just in time for Belstaff’s 100th anniversary. Within the space, materials have been carefully selected to convey the underlying tensions between old and new, constancy and change, which still underpin the brand today. The smoke-hued Staffordshire blue brick slips cover the floors, in a nod to the floors of the industrial workplaces and potteries of Belstaff’s hometown, Stoke-on-Trent.

On the ground floor, gently curved walls covered in natural clay guide customers through the space and encourage exploration. Brushed stainless-steel elements add industrial touches engineered for function – much like the products that they hold. Hand-hewn wooden benches and shelving by Studio Fonk take their cues from natural found objects that we bring home with us when we wander in the outdoors. The brand’s Phoenix icon is subtly stamped in surprising places on the tiling throughout, giving customers something new to uncover as they walk the floors.

“This is a real moment for us, as the vision and conversations we’ve been having as a relatively new team over the past two years finally come together, spatially, in our London home. Everything in the space has a reason and a purpose. This is the new era of Belstaff, a brand not held back by its history, but propelled by it.” Says Jodie Harrison, Global Brand Director, Belstaff.

For Solus, this has been a great project with which to be involved. We have an excellent record of accomplishment in maintaining brand identities, working globally with brands such as Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, and Five Guys. It is gratifying to share our local history with a brand that values authenticity in the same way that we do.