17 Luxury Brands Making The Highest Quality Belts For Men
More than just an anti-gravity device, today’s luxury belts add a strap of sophistication and subtle brand cachet to your looks.
The humble belt – a tool to combat gravity and spare your blushes – has had a bit of a rough time of late, what with fashion’s massive lean into streetwear. Elasticated waistbands have been the belt’s arch-nemesis, but as long as there are trousers with belt hoops in the world, the raison d’etre for belts will persist.
Luckily, the runways of recent seasons have been awash with relaxed tailored silhouettes, providing a great case for the belt’s resurgence. And quite right, too, because belts offer more than mere utility – they bring texture, luxury textiles and flashy hardware to your aesthetic. You also only need to invest in one or two high quality versions to cover all occasions.
With that in mind, we’ve curated a shortlist of the luxury brands producing the very best designs today. It’s time to buckle up…
What makes a belt luxury?
There’s no disguising a cheap belt. Even if it’s made from leather, you can still instantly gauge quality from the grain of the hide, the degree of the polish and the tone of the finish.
While you might argue, “so what? It’s just a belt”, that small strap about your waist has the propensity to completely ruin an otherwise stylish look. God is in the details.
Textile
Anderson’s
Good quality leather belts are the luxury standard, and they can come in a number of different finishes, from shiny patent styles to rugged full-grain straps.
If the maker can’t supply you with the provenance or the details of the hide used, then that should make you a little suspicious. Brands usually want to sing about the efforts made to source great textiles, so if they’re quiet, there’s typically a reason.
Calfskin designs in leather or nubuck tend to be the most popular, but you will also find cotton canvas options slipping into the luxury category for around the same sort of price. However, you’ll probably be forking out for the name and/or the hardware, rather than the cotton canvas itself, in the case of the latter.
Craftsmanship
Anderson’s
Handmade leather belts are the pinnacle, requiring great artisanship and handworked skills, especially when it comes to leather woven styles.
Look for neat, intricate stitching all over but especially at the buckle end.
Hardware
Montblanc
While the colour, grain and style of the belt are all important, it’s the buckle design that will ultimately turn heads and single your belt out as a style accessory rather than just a primitive device holding your pants up.
Hence, luxury belt buckles will often be made from solid brass with a silver or gold finish, as well as solid silver and (rarely) solid gold. Brass is preferred since it’s hardwearing.
Brand Cachet
Off-White
Let’s not forget that the tiny bit of advertising space afforded by the buckle can signify to the world your fashion clout.
This is not lost on luxury brands, many of whom have incorporated their logos into buckle design, perhaps the most famous being Hermès and Gucci.
The best men’s luxury belt brands for 2024
Elliot Rhodes
Elliot Rhodes is a unique proposition, being not only a specialist belt maker, but also a bespoke one. Of course, the brand offers hundreds of off-the-peg styles too, which it custom fits for you in store.
Designed in the UK since the brand was launched in 2004, Rhodes’s belts and buckles (the latter of which number in their 1,000s) are largely interchangeable, affording you huge versatility.
All of the belts are made exclusively in Italy and Spain by skilled craftsmen using traditional belt-making techniques, while the buckles are designed in-house and sourced globally from a selection of skilled makers from Italy, France, the UK and USA. The original buckle designs are hand sculpted in wax before being rendered in materials such as gould, silver,and stainless steel.
With every type and style of belt under the sun, Elliot Rhodes is an amazing place to add to your belt collection.
Berluti
The French-Italian luxury shoemaker cum fashion brand has long been renowned for its exceptional leather heritage so it should come as no surprise that it produces some of the most stunning leather belts that money can buy.
Berluti is widely recognised for its hand-painted leather patinas, of which it has beautifully transposed onto its 35mm belts.
Featuring a stunning array of minimalist rectangular buckles, many of Berluti’s belts are reversible, with one side presenting an extravagant embellished detail, while the other is plain. This gives you two quite different belts for the price of one.
The luxury house also offers some exotic alligator skin options if you’ve got the cash to drop.
Gucci
While you can rest assured that the leather quality and craftsmanship of Gucci’s belts will be of a high standard, let’s not kid ourselves here: if you buy a Gucci belt, you’re buying it for that buckle. The Italian maximalist has leveraged logos better than anyone else over the last half century and don’t expect its belts to be any different.
The double G and GG Supreme buckles are front and centre of the collection, featuring palladium- or gold-toned hardware adorning an array of belt styles.
If you’re looking for a sliver of big-name bling, then it doesn’t get much more impactful than a Gucci belt.
Brunello Cucinelli
The maestro of quiet luxury, Brunello Cucinelli’s seasonal collection of belts is as you would expect: crafted in Solomeo, Italy, from the finest calfskin leather and imbued with an understated finesse.
From the beautifully woven styles to the buttery-soft reversed calfskin and leather options, Cucinelli’s belts are slightly narrower than most (3cm), offering a more sophisticated shape that pairs well with the designer’s unique take on relaxed tailoring.
The belt hardware is exceptional too, with an array of square and rectangular buckles and metal tips to choose from.
Salvatore Ferragamo
The famed Italian shoemaker naturally has an affinity with fine leathers so of course it would make some of the fashion industry’s most sought-after belts.
Just because it is a heritage shoe brand, don’t think that Ferragamo would play it safe: its belts are some of the more fashion-forward styles we’ve seen in recent seasons, especially its reversible Gancini styles with their avant-garde adjustable buckle design.
All the buckles are interchangeable, giving you the option to change up a single belt in myriad ways.
Anderson’s
Italian belt specialist Anderson’s has been crafting belts in Parma for over 50 years. The family-run company might not have the brand cachet of the luxury houses, but that won’t matter a jot to discerning sartorialists who value craft and quality above all else.
While the classic collection of nappa leather belts are perfect additions to a smart tailored wardrobe, what we really love about Anderson’s designs are the braided belts in a 35mm width. Classic, traditional and beautifully executed with silver-tone buckles, they make for excellent casual summer belts, to be worn with your smart separates.
Zegna
Zegna is a luxury fashion behemoth, producing some of the finest fabrics in the industry, as well as seasonal collections that are always right on the money.
Reactive Director Alessandro Sartori is a stickler for details, a characteristic that plays out in the brand’s truly excellent collection of men’s leather belts. Chief among them are the ‘Z’ buckle designs, constructed from full grained leather, but our favourites are the suede styles which exude a high level of sophistication and timelessness.
Almost all of the belts are reversible too, giving you two styles in one.
Celine Homme
If you are in the market for a black leather belt of the highest quality, imbued with a subtle rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic, then Hedi Slimane’s Celine Homme offers an embarrassment of riches.
Using both vintage calfskin and taurillon leather (a French full-grain leather from the bull), the belts are replete with bold silver-tone hardware that can be paired with black denim or black tailored pants for an edgy aesthetic.
Bottega Veneta
World renowned for its beautiful ‘intrecciato’ leather braiding, Bottega Veneta should be high up your list if you desire a woven leather belt.
The iconic Italian brand does not disappoint, with a number of different woven styles in a variety of different colours, from classic black to wild acid green.
Extra-long wraparound styles, double-buckles, padded and foulard weaves keep the offering super edgy and continue to cement Bottega as a genuine fashion force.
Dunhill
British brand Dunhill’s motoring heritage means the iconic label has long worked with the finest leather hides. And this decades-old knowledge continues to shine through its accessories collection, not least its belts, which are handcrafted in Italy to exacting standards and feature minimalist silver-tone hardware.
Perfect for wearing with equally high-end suits and separates.
Tom Ford
Tom Ford is never short of sartorial flair (nor will the brand be short of incredible textiles since it was recently bought by Zegna) so it only figures that the iconic American brand would do a fine line in leather belts for its discerning audience.
Ford is that perfect blend of brand cachet and timeless elegance, so his belts tick all the boxes. The buckles are suitably extravagant and recognisable to turn heads, while the full-grain, soft-grain, and burnished leathers used are reassuringly exquisite.
Also check out his military-inspired webbing belts to add a twist to your smart wardrobe options.
Loewe
Under the stewardship of JW Anderson, Spanish fashion house Loewe has been transformed into a trendsetter, not least through its women’s bags. Hence the brand is no stranger to beautifully handcrafted leather goods.
Its men’s belts collection sticks to a simple yet very effective formula: bold reversible straps of colour in a variety of different leathers, with the Loewe anagram buckle front and centre.
These are belts designed to make people stop and stare.
Montblanc
If you’re in the market for a smart black leather belt that you can wear with a sartorial aesthetic, or a luxury all-black casualwear vibe, then Richemont-owned Montblanc has a wealth of excellent options – all crafted with Swiss precision and attention to detail.
What’s more, the brand offers a free leather embossing service on some of its designs, allowing you to personalise your chosen belt.
Last time we counted, the leather goods specialist had over 60 belt styles featuring an array of buckle designs, so you won’t be short for choice.
Loro Piana
The Italian luxury label beloved of billionaires has become the poster child for the ‘stealth wealth’ trend, which is not surprising given the brand’s exquisite appreciation of fine fabrics and its timeless understated aesthetic.
Naturally, its belts follow on the same creative path, handmade in Italy using some incredible Alsavel leather and suede.
With svelte plain styles in a variety of tones, as well as woven options, the hardware is mostly palladium-finished for a very refined casual look.
Sid Mashburn
One of the most eclectic belt collections we could find anywhere proudly belongs to Sid Mashburn. The American designer, along with his wife, Ann, has quietly built a cult following for his modern preppy tailored aesthetic (Sid was the first menswear designer at J.Crew).
The belts perfectly exemplify Mashburn’s approach to style. You’ve got everything from calfskin polo belts, hand embroidered by artisans in Colombia, to black alligator styles and reversible bridle leather straps, all immaculately finished and designed to add a unique sense of individuality to your look.
Off-White
Off-White has perhaps done more for the contemporary belt than any other brand, ever since it released its logo-heavy yellow and black strap that instantly became a fashion must-have.
That style has been consigned to the archives for posterity, replaced with a small but perfectly formed collection of leather belts featuring Off-White’s instantly recognisable cross logo.
If you love your luxury streetwear, then an Off-White belt is non-negotiable.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia does not do things by halves, so it goes without saying that this season’s collection of belts are not for the faint of heart.
Logo-heavy, and never shy of branding devices, Balenciaga’s belts are loaded with fashion cachet, from the colourful webbing D-ring styles to the slightly more muted oversize force belt and bottle opener buckle belt.
Elsewhere, the double ‘B’ buckle takes pride of place across a bold and extravagant collection.
