Ben Ainslie is new Belstaff ambassador as he leads Americas Cup challenger team

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 4, 2019

Belstaff has announced a link-up with Olympic sailing star Sir Ben Ainslie and Ineos Team UK, the British sailing team formed by Belstaff’s owner that’s aiming to win the 36th Americas Cup. It marks an important move for the brand that’s best known for its two-wheel heritage.

Ainslie is the label’s new ambassador and he’ll be leading the Ineos team, which is currently preparing for the challenge, taking place in New Zealand in March 2021. 

If it wins, it would be the first ever British team to win the world’s oldest sporting challenge and with the most successful sailor in Olympic history at the helm, who also happens to be the face of Belstaff, that would be a big win for the brand too.

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Ainslie has already won the America’s Cup once before, with the Oracle Team USA in 2013, and the company said that as he tries to repeat the win, “he embodies all of the core qualities of a Belstaff ambassador. He joins a long line of adventurous spirits who were not afraid to take the road less travelled, among them TE Lawrence, Che Guevara, Amelia Earhart and Steve McQueen.”

In the first collection of its kind, Belstaff has designed the on-shore capsule wardrobe for Ineos Team UK, taking inspiration from the clothing worn by America’s Cup teams throughout history, in particular, the 1950s. 

The collection merges well-known Belstaff pieces “with timeless silhouettes and high-performance materials designed for optimum durability.” It’s trans-seasonal, taking the team from cold to hot climates. There are 23 pieces that will be available to purchase from April 2020 from Belstaff stores, online, with select retail partners, as well as at Ineos Team UK races.