Inspired by renowned female pioneers, the Belstaff women’s design team was drawn to Edith “Jackie” Ronne’s great Antarctic expedition of 1947. An American journalist and historian, she was the first woman to be a working member of an Antarctic expedition, led by her husband Finn Ronne. She conducted research for 15 months at a small station the 21-member team had set up on Stonington Island in Marguerite Bay, on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Belstaff Fall 2016 collection celebrates this spirit with a mix of polar and moto inspirations, influenced by wintry landscape textures of snow, icebergs and rocks and a nod to Inuit dress. Motocross leather pants are combined with fur-lined parkas, while embroidered jackets and patchworks of wools and skins bring richness to the collection. In all, it showcases Belstaff’s strong attitude and freedom of spirit but expressed with soft materials and lines.

“We were inspired by female pioneers venturing into the earth’s most bleak and hard-to-reach locations in the most challenging of conditions – protection from the elements, warmth and comfort are key themes, as are the stylistic influences derived from these lands and the animals and people that inhabit them,” said Delphine Ninous, VP of Womenswear Design.

Presented in the heart of Marylebone, the Belsatff Fall 2016 collection at London Fashion Week took its guests on a great polar expedition.