The Belstaff Panther Jacket

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Belstaff is a fascinating company. Born in 1924 in industrial Staffordshire, it has proper credentials for making waterproofs for those who liked to push themselves – the early motorcyclists and aviators – with what was at the time considered pioneering technology, developed to withstand extreme conditions. Over the years, Belstaff dressed the military, mountain climbers and generations of bikers, as that breed progressed from the gentlemen who took up the sport in the early days to the rockers of the 1950s and 1960s. Not to mention a host of famous motorcycle enthusiasts too, like the King of Cool – Steve McQueen, T E Lawrence (of Arabia) and Che Guevara, all bikers who wore Belstaff (witness Che’s famous travelogue, The Motorcycle Diaries).

It is against this backdrop that we should place the brand’s Panther jacket. Originally produced in the 1950s as a two-piece motorcycle suit, it was made of vulcanised rubber with electronically welded seams, which made it both incredibly hardwearing and waterproof, the perfect outfit for combatting the changeable British weather.

Today, Belstaff still makes the Panther, however it has undergone quite a transformation. In leather, hand-waxed in Italy, the 2017 Panther feels extremely luxurious, while still possessing some of the grit that defined its ancestor's aesthetic. Modelled here by musician Christian Lambelin, it's also clearly got that casual rock 'n' roll swagger that seems to be a by-product of any leather jacket.

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The modern-day version of the Panther actually owes much to Belstaff's famous wax-cotton Trialmaster and the other classic four-pocket jackets that the brand made for motorcycling officers of various police forces and the British military (by contrast, the original rubber Panther had three pockets). Nevertheless, many of the essential features of the new jacket do indeed derive from the 1950s Panther: the chinstrap, slanted chest pocket (itself borrowed from Belstaff's early Air Ministry flying coats) and belted waist. But let's face it, the fact that it comes in black or cognac leather means that it is now a lot more chic and comfortable than it would have once been. And the classic styling also means that today's version works effortlessly with any number of different outfit combinations.

Photography: Bryan Adams; styling: Jo Levin; photo assistant: Haydn Vooght; digital tech: Rhys Thorpe; hair: Tyler Johnston at One Represents using TYLER by Tyler Johnston; fashion assistant: Julia Lurie; model: Christian Lambelin at Select Model Management. Panther jacket, £1,250; belstaff.co.uk