Belt

Leather, metal and snakeskin belt worn over sweaters and shirts. Ian Mankin, who made the belt, started out in his father's trimmings business, branching out on his own in the 1960s to design leather jackets and luggage. He later made clothing for celebrities like the Beatles and Michael Caine.
The donor, Peter Viti, was born in Bloomsbury in 1936. He attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts, then entered into a partnership making costumes and props. He eventually went into the family business of letting property. Viti calls himself ‘a bit of a dandy’. He purchased clothing from the boutiques which revolutionised men’s fashion in the 1960s. Viti recalls the London gay scene both before and after the legalisation of sex between consenting men in 1967, considering that things became a little easier for gay men as attitudes slowly changed.