Anderson's belts

Long have I been convinced of the benefits of a stretchy, woven belt for anchoring a pair of motorcycle jeans at the correct height.

Most motorcycle belts are thick and heavy leather affairs. They're consistent with the 'tough guy' aesthetic that many of us bikers, somewhat delusionally, still cling to. And, of course, such belts will do the job; they will hold your pants up, although a leather belt will always relax a little, meaning that your pants will sit a little lower towards the end of the day. Heavy leather belts are also not always particularly comfortable. Leather does not give much. The wider the strap, and the thicker the leather, the less comfortable a leather belt can prove, as it digs into the waist. And when you're facing hours in the saddle, that's not always an alluring prospect.

An elasticated, woven belt is so much nicer to wear on the bike. And offers many benefits. It will give a little when you get onto the bike to accommodate the fact that everything has a tendency to go south when you're in the riding position. An elasticated belt will allow you to dictate where you want your jeans to sit, whether it be on, above, or just below the waist. You can loosen the belt to lower the hem of the pant when you're on the bike. And then tighten it off the bike to remove the 'crumple' of the denim around the ankle. In theory, you could do this with a leather belt, but a leather belt will never have the micro adjustability of a woven belt. A leather belt will never be as comfortable. And a leather belt will never stay in the same place all day long in the way that a woven belt will.

We spent many years looking for the perfect belt for a motorcycle jean. And, working with Anderson's, we think we have found it. Our belt is made to our specific requirements by a company that is considered by many in the fashion world to be the maker of the very finest.

Anderson's is an Italian company. They only make belts, and they've been making them in the same factory in Parma for over 50 years. Their belts are made entirely by hand; and indeed making one belt entails the execution of more than 100 separate processes. Anderson's doesn't do mass production. Their belts are crafted by skilled artisans, but to term them 'artisanal' does not to justice to the quality of the end product. These belts are seriously lovely; finely honed, works of art.

I first wrote to Anderson's in the hope of becoming a retailer more than two years ago, nervous that such a prestigious brand might not want to be associated with the mucky old world of motorcycling. Motolegends, I put it to them, would not embarrass the brand. But I heard nothing back, and assumed I was being snubbed. I wrote again; and not one to easily take no for an answer, I wrote a third time. But to no avail; not a dickey bird.

As a last resort, I passed the baton to Kelly, our buyer. 20 minutes later, she phoned to check when I had time in the diary to meet Anderson's UK agent. I had obviously been barking up the wrong tree. A couple of weeks after that we met up with the man from Anderson's to discuss our brief.

We wanted a woven belt, in order to offer motorcyclists the highest level of adjustability. We decided on a braided, stretchy strap, as opposed to braided leather, for the last word in comfort. At 3.5 cm, we went for the widest strap in the Anderson's range. And we wanted their chunkiest, most motorcycling-like buckle. We ended up with one with a brushed chrome plating over a brass casting. To reduce the chances of scratching the tank, we chose leather for the belt loop, the buckle holder and the tip.

Make no mistake. There's nothing lightweight or flimsy about these belts. They are the strongest, woven belts you will ever come across. They will keep your jeans sat exactly where you want them to be sat. They will do that without any compromise in terms of comfort. And they will do it all day long. We are very excited. In our view, what we have created here with Anderson's is the perfect motorcycle belt.

We know how conservative most bikers are, so even though Anderson's offer an enormous range of colours for their braided belts, we have initially gone for black, brown, khaki and blue.

All trouser belts are adjustable, obviously, but few are as adjustable and versatile as an elasticated, braided belt, which means that as you gain or lose weight, your Anderson's belt will come along for the ride.

We are offering three sizes. The smallest size is 32" to 34", the middle size is 36" to 38", the largest is 40" to 42". Now these measurements are based on your jean size rather than your actual waist size. If you wear a jean labelled as a waist 33", you will want the smallest size. If your jean has a 42" waist, you will want the largest belt.

For more information and to buy online, click Anderson's belts.