The World of Printed Belts
Belt and Braces?
Once upon a time, men kept their trousers up with braces and women didn’t wear trousers at all. Can you believe that it wasn’t until a century ago in the 1920s that Levi Strauss and Co came up with the idea of replacing buttons for braces on their denims with loops for threading a belt through? It wasn’t long till this caught on and trousers had belt loops too, and belts started to become really popular. By the 30s, they had also become a popular fashion accessory for women. Early belts were pretty boring. Mostly they were brown or black. They had a buckle. By the 1940s belts were being made with leather and suede and were much more stylish, but with the advent of WW2 and the shortages that came with it, belts took a step back and lost much of their style and quality. Back to little choice or individuality. Post war, though, from the 50s onwards, the range of belts practically exploded, and customers were spoilt for choice – wide leather belts, chain belts, embossed leather belts, studded belts, belts with rivets, eyelet belts …
No more boring belts – the printed belt is born
Nowadays we can count ourselves really lucky. No more boring belts. One of the most exciting developments came with the ability to print designs onto belts. Now you can have a bonded leather belt with a PU layer printed with images that allow you to express yourself. Just as the best tattoo design connects with your personality, so does your printed leather belt. Legendary award-winning tattoo artist, Chantale Coady, has collaborated with Lowlife of London to produce the Lowlife Picture House Tattoo belt. This monochrome belt features an all over tattoo-inspired design with metal eyelets and really lets you make a statement, even when your ink is covered!
The SWYD (Sleep When You’re Dead) bonded leather belt is another collab piece for those of you who love your tats. This is a Dirty Sanchez collaboration with Matt Pritchard, the badass former MTV stuntman turned ultra-distance triathlete. The SWYD leather belt in white has those iconic triple studs in bright shiny white with an interchangeable buckle featuring the SWYD foil embossed logo. For a different but equally striking look, the black SWYD perforated leather belt has a dangerous flash of red showing through the three rows of punched holes beneath the embossed logo.
Printed Belts and Collaborations
The possibilities with printed belts and collabs are endless. If you are into skulls, then you might want to pick up an artist collab belt by UK-based artist, Christopher Luke. The Christopher Luke Skull Vegan belt rocks three rows of matt black studs and features his iconic original skull design.
As these printed belts come with a removeable buckle, you can ring the changes and add an eye-catching Christopher Luke Heart Buckle for that striking finishing touch. This buckle features a blood-red heart encased in a skeletal ribcage. If you like Christopher’s cool creations, you might also like the Graveyard Shift printed belt. This full colour print leather belt makes a really awesome (or is it gruesome?) statement, with its montage of skeletons, spiders and spooky clowns. Add to that the interchangeable metal prong belt buckle fastened with snap buttons, and you definitely have an unbeatable combination.
Show who you are with one of our printed belts
Maybe you are a fan of shred guitar? If so, the Lowlife Thrash reversible leather belt will be right up your street with its vibrant all over guitar pick design. Of course, thrash metal has its roots in British heavy metal and was influenced by the likes of great bands like Motörhead. You might know that Motörhead were formed when the late, great Lemmy was ditched by Hawkwind. He wanted a brand-new logo for his new band, something along the lines of a biker patch that you would sew on the back of a denim jacket and to show that you were part of a brotherhood of like-minded individuals.
In 1977 Lemmy sat down in a London pub with artist Joe Petagno, who had been working on some artwork for Hawkwind. They discussed his idea, and over a few drinks, the idea for his iconic Snaggletooth (or Warpig) was born. Petagno describes it as “the ultimate anti-everything symbol” for “rebelling against anything and everything that is detrimental to one’s individuality.” So, play your Ace (of Spades) and show your allegiance with Lowlife’s Warpig full colour printed belt - or you might prefer the Lowlife Motörhead Wings leather belt in blue and black with alternating pyramid studs and skulls. Either way, in one of these printed belts you will certainly be louder than everything else!
If you have seen the writing on the wall, then the Iron Maiden collabs are for you. Choose between the black version with artwork on the inside of the belt and Iron Maiden text and stud detail on the visible side, or the Iron Maiden full colour printed belt … or why not treat yourself to both?
Printed belts for men and women – a whole new world of possibilities
So, you can see how printed belts have opened up a whole new world of choice and possibilities, perfect for all walks of alternative lifestyle. You can check out our full range here. Lowlife and proud of it: belts for men and women.