Belstaff collaborate with explorer Levison Wood to launch the Levison Fieldmaster jacket
Levison sits down with Attitude to discuss his favourite things about the new jacket
By Nick Byam
Belstaff have announced the latest release in their on-going partnership with explorer Levison Wood.
Lev is a former paratrooper from Stoke-On-Trent, who is now known as a best-selling author, photographer and for his breakthrough TV series Walking the Nile, Walking the Himalayas and more recently Walking the Americas and From Russia To Iran.
Belstaff and Levison Wood have come together to bring us a reinvention of the classic Fieldmaster jacket.
Combining Wood’s practical expertise and the brand heritage of technical innovation the Levison Fieldmaster has four storm-proof pockets, an adjustable mandarin collar and is constructed from a water-repellent cotton twill making it versatile, sleek and functional.
Features of the original style remain and are joined by an augmented utility pocket, with pleating and ingenious stitch detailing. Available in two colours: Bronze Oak and Sand, this jacket retails for a reasonable £450.
We caught up with Lev to find out all things FieldMaster and more.
How did the partnership between yourself and Belstaff come about?
The partnership with Belstaff developed after I returned from my Walking The Nile expedition in 2014.
I hosted an adventure talk at their New Bond Street store in London where I got talking with their design team and creative director, then work began on my first Fieldmaster jacket. We have been collaborating ever since…
Where is the strangest/wildest place in the world you have been with your Fieldmaster jacket?
I went to Nepal recently with one of the charities I am an ambassador for, The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
After visiting Gurkha veterans in some of the remotest parts of central Nepal, I got the opportunity to take a helicopter trip to Annapurna basecamp to visit my friend, Nims Purja, at the start of his extraordinary attempt to climb all 14 eight-thousanders in seven months.
So, my Fieldmaster has had an outing at more than 4,000m!
Belstaff are all about the details, what’s your favourite thing about the Fieldmaster?
We specifically designed a pleated pocket with additional stitching for extra utility to carry the field essentials such as a compass.
And I love the material – cotton twill with a water repellent finish.
What do you need from your clothes when you’re working in more challenging environments?
Durability. It’s very difficult, often near to impossible, to get resupplies on my journeys, because of the remoteness of my routes, so my clothes need to last and be functional in a variety of climates.
Other than the Fieldmaster jacket, what other Belstaff clothes are in your wardrobe?
The Journey Jacket is my go-to when travelling round town on my motorbike.
Shop Lev’s Fieldmaster jacket now at Belstaff.co.uk
