Our belt for all your adventures

It was time for me to finally introduce you to this accessory that was so close to my heart!

Indeed, when I discovered Cobra® buckle belts 5 years earlier, I immediately fell in love with this incredibly reliable buckle that was terribly pleasant to use, particularly because of its famous “click” when you engage it.

So I've been wanting to offer our interpretation of the Cobra® buckle belt for a while now, as it's the only thing I wear every day, including with dressy outfits.

Indeed, once you have tasted the Cobra® loop, it is very difficult to go back...

The Genesis

It all began in 1996, the year Austrialpin was founded, an Austrian company located in Fulpmes in the Stubaital valley, specializing in climbing equipment: carabiners, ice axes, crampons, etc. Their great mastery of aluminum machining gave them more and more visibility among the informed public.

In their constant search for innovation, Austrialpin engineers find themselves faced with an existential problem:
“How do you create a system that allows two straps to be joined together in the safest way in the world, while being extremely easy to handle?” This is how the Cobra® buckle was born.

Military brands realize the interest of this indestructible buckle and will use it to make combat belts , which are easily adjusted thanks to the sliding system and which support the weight of multiple pouches filled with magazines, grenades, radios or medical kits.

A unique manufacturing process, the secret of its reliability

Although the manufacturing process is a trade secret, Austrialpin is proud to be able to develop each buckle from start to finish in Fulpmes (Tyrol region), from raw material to final product. Each buckle is checked before leaving the factory.

What they are most proud of is their patented closing system, which is extremely reliable and gives them a great competitive advantage.

Notable features of the loop include:

• You have to press both latches at the same time to open the buckle. It is - almost - impossible to open it by pressing only one.
• Opening when the loop is under tension is not possible.
• It is almost impossible to close the buckle if the two latches are not perfectly aligned.

A striking design

The Cobra® belt design made it famous.

It is so successful that Hollywood action cinema regularly places it in its costumes.

There are many anecdotes surrounding the buckle, starting with its name itself: “COBRA®” comes from the fact that the design is indeed inspired by the shape of the animal, but also by its strength and agility.

Beyond its use for climbing in an industrial setting or for rescue operations, the loop is very popular with national armies. The American army rightly uses it to equip its soldiers.

Intermittent show

This legendary curl can be found everywhere in popular culture, such as at the Circle of the Sun or at the Superbowl halftime show. Stars like Katy Perry in 2015 or Lady Gaga in 2017 have used Cobra® curls.

An outstanding astronaut

When Austrian Felix Baugmartner made his jump from 40km altitude, he had a Cobra® buckle on his suit .

Space X and the ISS (International Space Station) also use it for their suits:

We're making a big deal out of it

Given its success in the military due to its reliability and durability, film directors and producers quickly became interested in it.

The loop also made its debut in Hollywood with the film Blade released in 1998, the year it was marketed! Barely released, it was already famous.

Since then, it has been regularly used by Hollywood designers and costume designers in action and science fiction films such as Marvel movies, The Dark Tower, Prometheus… because of its futuristic look, its great ingenuity and of course the “cool factor”.

In fact, costume designers in movies often source buckles themselves when they need them, either by buying directly from the brand's website or by getting a real military belt with an integrated Cobra buckle and modifying it slightly.

The company is not always informed of the appearance of its loop in films but takes the trouble to list the works in which it appears.

This belt is made up of three elements : leather, a Cobra® buckle and a strap. And these three components were really not chosen at random…

Vegetable tanned leather represents our taste for beautiful materials that develop a patina over time:

The Cobra® buckle symbolizes our taste for reliability and technicality… in addition to being exquisite to use!

And the strap illustrates our love of texture and grain in the textiles we use.

In short, this belt is the essence of BonneGueule symbolized by these three elements.

As I said, I really liked this cohabitation of two completely different materials and the contrast of colors and textures that results from it, but there is also a very practical reason for this choice…

Indeed, to be able to adjust your belt to the millimeter in one movement, you need a fabric that can slide smoothly and without friction in the male part. This would not be possible with leather, which would be too thick to slide smoothly.

And since there is a lot of friction and it is regular, you need a specially adapted textile, namely a military-grade strap!

For this belt which is intended to last for many years, I wanted a leather that would become more and more beautiful over time.

This is why we have chosen vegetable tanned leather, which will reveal magnificent shades of color as it is worn.

And this isn't just any strap. I immediately turned to military-grade straps, because apart from their undeniable qualities of robustness and durability, I love the colors offered.

In this case, I chose a color called “coyote”, which is the perfect marriage between a beige, a gray, and a honey color.

How to place your belt on your pants?

The Cobra buckle being different from a classic belt buckle, there is a very simple little method to put it on your pants, and I made you a video for the occasion:

WITH EVERYTHING .

Yes, I deliberately wrote in capital letters, because I have been wearing Cobra® buckles almost every day and with many outfits for almost 5 years.

My guilty pleasure? Wearing it with a nice shirt, a blazer and nice shoes, because I like this contrast where the elegance of this kind of piece faces the industrial side of the buckle and the strap.

It's really an accessory that you have to have fun using, because don't forget, accessories are made to bring a little touch of surprise and the unexpected to an outfit!

In fact, the color of the Cobra® buckle fits in as easily as a classic belt buckle with other shades, I'll let you try it yourself!

By the way, I wanted to show you two outfits, one that is clearly outdoor-oriented and one that is completely urban.

This belt is available in 3 sizes:

• S for a total length of 105 cm, which would correspond to a trouser size between a 28 and a 32
• M for a total length of 115 cm which would correspond to a trouser size between a 30 and a 34
• L for a total length of 125 cm which would correspond to a trouser size between a 33 and a 36

But given the length of strap available, you have a lot of room to adjust your belt!

As you can see, this is a unique product that we offer, without equivalent, and so there are 100 belts that will be available for sale , so a little over thirty belts per size, with stock shared between the stores and our e-shop.

This is truly an exclusive product , and the decision to restock it in case of stock shortage has not yet been made.

So if you like a model, don't delay.

You will see letters, numbers and logos engraved on the buckle, let's see what that means!

On the female part

At the top left you will see two small hills: they represent the Stubaital mountains, a mountainous region in the Austrian Tyrol, where Austrialpin (the manufacturer of this buckle) has its roots.

And this is no coincidence, because it is also a region with a beautiful culture of metalworking intended for tools for mountaineers.

At the top right, the phrase “Pat. Pat. Pend.” means it is a patented loop.

Then you have the two famous pictograms which express technical specifications:

• Breaking load straight pull: the total load is applied to one strand of the strap and to the buckle.
  9kN = 917.74 kg

• Breaking load loop configuration: This is the maximum load that a material can support when the force is exerted directly in the opposite direction to which the material is strained.
  18 kN = 1,835.49 kg

As you can see, you have lots and lots and lots of room before your Cobra® buckle breaks from too much pressure!

These are numbers in kiloNewtons, not kilograms. Why this choice?

Because it is necessary to express a force rather than a mass. Indeed, an 80 kg man will not make a loop undergo the same force if he is simply suspended or if he falls from 10 meters… while he has the same mass!

Then you have two letters: F and Y. The letter “F” corresponds to the Cobra® buckle range at Austrialpin (because it does not only manufacture Cobra® buckles) and the letter Y corresponds to the professional buckle, the Pro Style. .

The number “33” designates the width of the strap to use, in millimeters.

The letters “WF” mean that it is a non-adjustable female part, that is to say that the strap must be sewn.

On the male part

We find the two mountains of the Stubaital with the name of the loop and its range (the “Pro Style” here).

The “FY33” markings designate the same thing as the female part: it is a Cobra® buckle compatible with a 33 mm wide strap.

The letters “MV” mean that it is an adjustable male part, in which you can put a strap that can be adjusted.