Belstaff Hampstead gloves in black / red

Historically, we have not always been huge fans of Belstaff’s gloves. In fact, thinking about it, we probably still aren’t. We tend to the view that their gloves are a bit of an afterthought. To us they look like the kind of generic gloves we see being touted by the Far Eastern manufacturers at the international trade fairs; albeit with a Belstaff logo plonked on.

And we haven’t necessarily changed that view, but the Hampstead glove we have here from Belstaff is one we really like; perhaps in truth the first ever Belstafff glove that we have ever really liked. Not that this glove is, in any way, a technical marvel. On one level the Hampstead is a pretty basic summer glove, but we do like the styling. It’s very Belstaff; but it’s also a very, very comfortable to wear.

It’s made from a combination of goatskin and what is called Techwax. Now Techwax is the fabric that was developed by British Millerain for Belstaff. It is wax cotton combined with synthetic fibres, and the material was created so that wax cotton garments could meet the new CE safety standards.

The palm is all leather. There’s an extra pad at the base of the palm that some might call a slider; not sure that we would. Where the hand grips the bars there’s a suede panel for extra grip. The fingers are perforated for extra airflow. The index finger is also touchscreen sensitive. You get concertina bands on the fingers and on the back of the hand for easier articulation of the hand. On the knuckles there’s a hard protector, although this is foam backed, again with comfort in mind.

The wrist is finished with lightly padded, diamond stitching. It looks great; very Belstaff. The wrist fastens by means of elasticated banding as well as a Velcro strap. The gloves have no membrane, so think of them purely as summer gloves. With no membrane, they are not going to have any protection from the wind. And clearly they won’t be up to much in the rain.

So why, then, would you buy the Hampstead gloves? Well, obviously you’d only buy them if you wanted a lightish weight summer glove. You might buy them if you wanted a glove to go with a Belstaff jacket. You might buy them if you like the way they look. But me, personally, I would buy them because they are simply lovely to wear.