bally

Bally

Bally is a Swiss leather goods brand, founded in 1851 in Schönenwerd, become in the years a giant in the field.

The history of Bally

Bally was established by Carl Franz Bally in 1851 in Schönenwerd: fifty years later it expanded to France and by the 1930s it had 56 shops in Paris and the rest of the country. Their number increased, so in 1965 there were 240 stores in 50 foreign countries. Nowadays the company still manages 6 factories in Switzerland, 2 in France and one in England and it boasts a widespread distribution network in the entire Europe: moreover, it owns 300 stores in the entire world and a team of more than 100 artisans in the Swiss city of Caslano.

In 1978 the group was taken over by the Swiss holding company Oherlikon Bürhle. At the beginning of 1990s, Bally also entered the clothing market, although footwear remained its core business, with about 9 million pairs produced each year. Because of its very long history, the brand never worried about scoops or shocking organizations, but it always had the sell as reference point: every collection was realized by leather, which was so beautiful and soft that it could seem a fabric and whose cuts, binds and wrinkles denote a tailoring expertise.

The changes of property

Between 1999 and 2000 American company Texas Pacific Group (TPG) acquired Bally from Oherlikon Bührle, so the brand launched a new strategy, aimed at repositioning it as luxury brand, and in 2002 it appointed Marco Franchini as new CEO.

In 2007 Brian Atwood was appointed as Creative Director: just in ten years, he became one of the most influent footwear designers. In Bally, he leaded a team which included Johnny Coca, Andrea Pompilio and Sara Johnson. Furthermore, on 22nd April 2008, Labelux Group, a new holding operation in the luxury sector and based in Vienna and Milan, owned by Viennese family-run holding Jos. A. Benckiser SE (Jab), said it signed an agreement with TPG Capital to acquire Bally International AG.

In 2012 the company gave Twx-L’Amy the license for eyewear production, so debuting in the eyewear field too. The collection was designed by Creative Directors Michael Herz and Graeme Fidler. Later, in 2018, the license was given to Venetian company Marcolin, which signed a 5-years agreement.

In 2013, after Reinhard Miek left his CEO role, it was replaced by Frédéric de Narp, who had had a similar role in Cartier for 18 years. Furthermore, the following year, Argentinian fashion designer Pablo Coppola was appointed Creative Directors and replaced the preceding couple, which already left the brand.

Current situation

In 2017 Bally decided to reduce the number of its headquarters: as a consequence, it closed the Londoner one and moved the staff to Caslano and Milan ones, which instead were still working. Contextually the company had to face the exit of Pablo Coppola, who was replaced by three internal fashion designers.

In 2019 Nicolas Girotto was appointed CEO of the brand and he began a strategy aimed at strengthening the position of the brand as leader in the fashion world. As a consequence, in 2022, after a twenty-year absence, Bally organized a runway show again, during the Milan Fashion Week.

In the same year the fashion house appointed a new Creative Director: it chose the Philippine Rhuigi Villaseñor, who had already founded and leaded the Rhude brand. That choice was justified by Girotto, who said that, after three years which Bally redefined its positioning in, they needed to «introduce the brand in the future», by making its contemporary relevance improve and by keeping its fundamental values.

In May 2023, after Villaseñor left his role, the company decided to replace him with Simone Bellotti, who already had a great experience, in Gucci, Dolce&Gabbana, Bottega Veneta and Gianfranco Ferré. He brought with him its deep knowledge of tailoring and craftsmanship in accessories.

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To read the item in Italian click here.