When the Most Stylish Belt You’ve Seen Also Solves the Fundamental Problem With Belts—A Free Product Review of Goldfels Belts

Belts: Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.

On the one hand, they are the ubiquitous accessory you sort of can’t live without unless you go full #menswear and wear suspenders (ahem, I mean braces).

On the other hand, it’s a rudimentary concept—holes spaced one inch apart, so it’s either too tight, hurting the muscles around your hips (the gluteus medius, it turns out they’re called), or slightly too loose requiring you to pull them up continuously.

But on the third hand, they also serve a visually pleasing function. They add visual interest to your outfit, in between your shirt and pants. With a suit, no belt is cleaner; it looks sophisticated. But in almost any other outfit, a belt introduces another opportunity to add style. Western belts; suede belts; braided belts; beaded Kenyan belts. They’re cool!

For the leather or suede belt you wear with a dressy outfit, I have discovered a belt that looks amazing (which on that merit alone is worth your attention)—but it turns out, the design also solves the fundamental issue that plagues all non-woven belts: those widely spaced holes. 

The maker is Goldfels, and its founder Julian told me that in fact, it was the utilitarian quest to solve the problem of belt sizing that led to this ingenious and beautiful product. You see, if you take a normal belt, and want to add more holes than the typical 5 holes spaced one inch apart, it looks dumb. Add an extra hole in those one-inch gaps, and it looks like your belt was the recipient of a spray of machine gun fire. So Julian kept experimenting. 

The design he landed on elegantly solves the problem.

The design

Here’s how it works: At the end of the belt you’d expect to see 5 holes, there is only one—the middle hole. That’s how you’re supposed to size belts anyway—get one that fits so that the buckle pin passes through the middle hole. 

Where are the rest of the holes, then? They are at the other end of the belt; the end where the buckle is normally attached. On Julian’s belt, however, the buckle is not attached to the belt (more on that in a sec). Instead, there you’ll find 10 holes, spaced 1 cm apart (basically one every 1/2 inch). 

What about the buckle? Well, the buckle is a solid piece that stands alone, unattached from the belt itself. It has a short shaft that passes through the hole of the belt. The belt is longer than your normal belt by a good bit, because it’s designed so that it overlaps itself. The buckle slides over both layers of belt. The shaft passes through the single vanity hole at the normal end, then passes through the sizing hole on the other end of the belt, which lays underneath.

If that description has you scratching your head, see the short video below.

The benefits of this approach are obvious in terms of sizing. While there are other belts that achieve infinite sizing, they’re usually either quite utilitarian in materials like nylon, or are woven.

But it also means the buckle can be designed to be aesthetically pleasing first, without sacrificing the utilitarian benefit.

The unique horseshoe shape of Goldfel’s buckle is what drew me to this design originally, though the original style is actually a rectangle. But this brings up another neat aspect of this belt: since the buckle is separate, you can get multiple buckle styles and interchange them as the mood strikes. I liked the gold horseshoe style, but it’s nice to know I can get the rectangular style to swap out if that strikes my fancy.

The quality

Goldfels is based in Germany and sources the leather from Europe. Specifically, they state on their website: “All of our calfskin stock is specially made for us by a renowned German tannery. While our Suede and Nubuck stocks are sourced from a reputable Italian tannery. The raw hides come without exception from Europe, more precisely from the Alpine region, as well as Central and Northern Europe.”

The suede belt I received is fantastic in hand. It does not stretch when pulled, like belts made of lower quality leather do. The feel is soft and supple, with a fine, dense texture—no raw, rough suede here. The stitching is neat and uniform. I have no doubt this belt will last for 5-10 years with regular use. The buckle is high quality, milled from a solid block with only the cross-beam soldered on.

If there’s one concern I have, it’s that I wonder if the single post that goes through both sides of the belt will hold up over time. After all, it’s the stress point for the whole belt.

So I asked Julian. Here’s what he said: “Good point and indeed, both of our buckle models have the pin already included in the mould and therefore nothing is soldered on. You can try bending the pin a little, and you’ll see that it’s incredibly stable (one of the advantages of solid brass we use compared to the much less robust Zamac alloy, which is often used because it is much cheaper). If you place the pin up front on the edge of a table or its plate and lean on it from above, you can bend the pin with a some effort. You can test it to get a feel for the stability. But don’t overdo it, as cold forming naturally strains the material and the finish can crack if you bend it too far. Nevertheless, you can get a feel for it this way.

“In any case, the bottom line is that this part of the buckle will not be a problem now or in the future. Even if you try to tow a car with it, the leather is more likely to give way first than the pin (but I haven’t tested this 😅).”

The price

Let’s talk price. It’s expensive compared to most belts! At around $300, it’s about double or maybe three times the price I’d expect to pay for a good leather belt. It’s less expensive by large margins than belt from some designer brands. Of course if you compare that to a pair of trousers you might buy, whether dress or casual, it’s right on par with what you’d probably pay for one good pair of quality trousers. For a belt that’s as high quality as this, which you’ll wear for years, and which can be worn with every pair of trousers you own, the price is significantly less spendy than it seems.  

I’ve said in the past that buying a suede belt changed my life—it was the One Belt that went with everything, from denim to white pants to all but the dressiest suit trousers (in particular because I almost exclusively wear suede shoes). Whether that would be the case for you is dependent on your style, but that one suede belt has lasted me a decade and I’m still wearing it.

So this quality belt, if it lasts a decade plus, provides a very strong value proposition.

If you’re someone who wants a belt that’s just a little extra special, I’d definitely recommend Goldfels. That it also adds significant utilitarian benefit by solving the fundamental problem with belts—that’s not just the cherry, but it’s the ice cream, fudge and whipped cream filling the entire bowl.

Shop for this Havana Brown suede belt here.

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