Inspired by the beach, the new collection features lightweight and versatile materials. Image credit: Belstaff
British fashion label Belstaff has escaped the cold to visit the warm coast of Morocco as it celebrates its spring/summer 2022 collection and anxiously awaits the summer season.
In a short film,“Wavelength,” the brand takes its latest summer styles to Taghazout Bay, Morocco, a fishing village turned eccentric surf and skate locale. The bright and warm campaign contrasts Belstaff’s typically cool-toned brand imagery, signaling the season of change.
Sun and sand
The grainy ’60s-style film follows a group of friends who are spending a holiday together, evoking a sense of nostalgia for summer days with few responsibilities.
The coloring of the film is warm — almost a sepia tone — garnering excitement for the seasons ahead, while also reminding audiences of feelings of relaxation, tranquility and community.
Belstaff’s campaign is a warm reset from its typically cooler online presence
Different shots of the town show young people enjoying drinks with friends, skateboarding, surfing, walking through bright alleyways and reveling in the view. Goats roam the streets, while two older gentlemen play instruments and dance on a patio.
About 15 miles north of Agadir, Taghazout Bay began to transform from a fishing village to a surfing hub in the 1960s, as it was a stop along Morocco’s “Hippie Trail” — a popular pilgrimage through northwest Africa between from the 1950s to 1970s.
After some travelers decided to stay in Taghazout, they started bringing money into the town through surfing. Today, it is considered one of the top surfing towns in Morocco.
Taghazout started becoming a surf hub in the 1960s, and since then has welcomed a growing skate culture. Image credit: Belstaff
Inspired by people who seamlessly transition from the mountain to the shore, the collection features new technical textiles ideal for traveling and lightweight materials for varying weather conditions.
Together the men’s and women’s collections range from $40 to $1,695 and include bags, outerwear, accessories and more.
Skating into luxury
Although not typically associated with luxury and certainly not new, skateboarding has become more popular among young people around the world, and luxury is starting to take note of its cultural importance.
Last summer, Canadian department store chain Holt Renfrew turned the spotlight on local skaters to bring summer’s skateboard-inspired style to life.
Its summer advertising effort, “Holts Playground,” featured skaters who share their love for the culture, what skating has taught them and the importance of diversity in the sport. Shot in Windsor and Toronto, the campaign features members of Bliss Skateboard Shop as well as skaters from across the country who are trying to pave new ground in the sport.
In the short film, close-up shots of skate tricks are edited with groups of friends in urban settings. Through voice-over, the skaters share their thoughts on the importance of skate culture and how it should be represented more (see story).
In 2019, Italian fashion label Gucci illustrated the inspiration behind its Grip timepiece through a visual project centered on global skateboarding communities.
Creative director Alessandro Michele modeled the watches after the grip tape that skaters use on their boards to create friction. To showcase the unisex timepiece, Gucci tapped skateboarders and artists to capture the stories of skaters in different corners of the globe (see story).