The worlds of legacy fashion houses and streetwear have continued to merge over the past decade and with Swiss fashion house Bally announcing its appointment of RHUDE’s Rhuigi Villaseñor as its Creative Director, the connection between the two worlds strengthens. This marks the first time the 171-year-old Swiss heritage company has named a new creative director in five years. With this appointment, Bally is joining the ranks of brands like Louis Vuitton in its historic appointment of the late Virgil Abloh, Dior Homme with Kim Jones, Givenchy with its appointment of streetwear designer Matthew Williams, and Kenzo with streetwear legend Nigo.
Based in LA. Villaseñor founded RHUDE in 2015 and since then he’s garnered a cult-like following, culminating in showing at Men’s Paris Fashion Week in 2020. From brand signatures like the “RHUDE” cigarette box motif to the RHODEO frame (which inspired the tented eyewear trend of 2021), he’s shown a mastering of balancing luxury techniques with streetwear elements, melding subcultures to create a world all his own. With his recent drops and collections, he’s been pushing the gap between streetwear and luxury fashion, providing fresh takes on tailoring alongside offerings of streetwear staples like highly covetable t-shirts, jackets, and accessories. “I entrust Rhuigi, a talented visionary, to continue evolving the contemporary relevance of our brand and accelerate growth while preserving Bally’s core values” said CEO of Bally, Nicolas Girotto in a statement. “Having acutely followed Rhuigi’s ascent I am excited by how his natural creativity and energetic spirit have made him one of the industry’s greatest idea generators and community builders. Rhuigi’s deep understanding of Bally’s history coupled with a distinct appreciation of the Swiss lifestyle will be instrumental in ushering the brand into the future.”
Rhuigi’s first collection for Bally will be for Spring/Summer 2023.
