Belstaff and the real Che Guevara?

[armscye]

I've been a longtime fan of both the waxed cotton Belstaff Trialmaster and the leather variant Belstaff Panther. The Trialmaster happens to be the jacket of the nanosecond in the fashion business, so I guess I came early to the party.

Here's my question: there are hundreds of web references to this jacket being worn by Che Guevara, but I see nothing authoritative. I believe it appeared in The Motorcycle Diaries. But has anybody got anything actually historical indicating that he was a Belstaff wearer? It would be a warmish jacket for South America by any standard, plus the ride took place in 1952, when Belstaff was largely a British Isles brand.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Are these jackets still hot? I thought that was a decade back. Over here the Belstaff name is only known by people who haunt sites like this. We have Drizabone which used to make Belstaff Trailmasters, etc, here under license in the 1960's. I can't say I have any interest in Che or what he wore but I am interested to learn more about why this jacket remains such a key pop item.

Actually, while I think about it, like that jacket, brand Che has come in and out of fashion for the past decades I can remember. If I never see that Che t-shirt again I will be obliged.

 

[Monitor]

That theory is based on that one photo of Ernesto sitting on an electric bicycle wearing a jacket that looks like a Trialmaster but yeah, no, there is no factual ground on which to prove that the jacket he's wearing indeed is Belstaff. It could be though, as I can't imagine South America has had that many motorcycle jacket makers, especially not at the time, as climate would require very little need for such garments. Also, Guevara's were of Irish descent in part but whether they still had any connection to the British isles, I do not know.

 

[Dinerman]

This thread is open for business again. Please keep it on topic and off politics, or it will be closed again. It's just clothes, folks.

Is this the jacket, Armscye?

 

[armscye]

This thread is open for business again. Please keep it on topic and off politics, or it will be closed again. It's just clothes, folks.

Is this the jacket, Armscye?

It's the right length, and looks like waxed cotton. But after enlargement, it appears to have a cuff belt on the right wrist, open ended sleeves, and the hint of a w-shaped collar. Trialmasters have no cuff belts, button cuffs, and stand-up collars.

Then again, it could be another Belstaff model, since they've made all kinds of outdoor gear for many years.

 

[wanz]

That is the picture that seems to accompany all of the claims though. Belstaff even had it on their site at one point. According to the metal placket in my Trialmaster the style was developed in 1948. That doesn't seem to give the style much time to find its way from England to Argentina.

 

[Dinerman]

It's so hard to tell from that photo. The texture of the sleeves certainly looks like it has the stiffness of waxed cotton. But at that time, it wasn't that unusual a material for rainproof garments, especially ones made for the hunting/fishing set.

Like Schott claiming to have invented the motorcycle (they didn't) and claiming to have made the one in The Wild One (they didn't), manufacturers often take liberties with the truth to boost their brand, specially in cases like this where it's difficult to prove or disprove.