Swiss luxury brand Bally has found a new design director in Simone Bellotti. The announcement comes just two weeks after Rhuigi Villaseñor stepped down from the role of creative director after just two seasons at the helm.
Bellotti joined the company in October 2022. Now, the Milanese designer will take the lead at Bally Design Studio after a 16-year tenure at Gucci and previously holding senior design positions at Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta and Gianfranco Ferré, imbuing him with a deep understanding of ready-to-wear tailoring codes and accessories craftsmanship. Jumping in head first, Bellotti is already set to debut his first collection for Bally during Milan Fashion Week in September.
“It is a great honor to be appointed Bally’s Design Director and trusted with contributing to Bally’s extraordinary legacy,” Bellotti said of the 172-year-old heritage company. “The House’s unique Swiss heritage, coupled with its beautiful history rooted in a pioneering spirit and relentless pursuit of excellence, is a powerful inspiration.”
Bally’s CEO, Nicolas Girotto said in a statement, “I am honored to announce Simone Bellotti’s leadership for the Bally design studio. Having already worked alongside the team during the past nine months, Simone will continue to interpret and rejuvenate our signature codes in the context of today.” He continued, “Simone’s passion and appreciation for Bally’s heritage, coupled with his extensive industry experience, will enable us to continue to execute on our vision of creating timeless and elegant products that uphold our legacy of craft and stand the test of time.”
Under Girotto’s guidance, Bally is currently rejuvenating its strategic direction. Villaseñor, founder of L.A.-based luxury streetwear label RHUDE, was named Bally’s creative director in January 2022.
As one of the buzziest new appointments and Bally’s first creative director in five years, the Filipino designer brought a renewed sense of opulence to the brand with sexy suiting, denim staples and slinky slips in his first offering for the house with the Spring/ Summer 2023 collection last fall. It-girls like Joan Smalls walked the runway while the front row was filled with famous faces like Emily Ratajkowski.
The California-cool creative breathed new life into Bally with his fresh vision got people talking about Bally. After showcasing his second collection, the Fall/Winter 2023 collection in February, Bally announced Villaseñor would exit his role on May 16.
In the days before the surprising announcement, Villaseñor tweeted, “Never compromise your vision and your values. Never ever.” Then, he tweeted, “You can give ‘em your juice but never let [‘em] take your sauce.”
On the same day as the exit announcement, Villaseñor wrote, “It’s important for the future and the kids I’m paving way for to have a proper road map, that leads them to proper enterprise value. Always focus on what you own and build the world u wish to have, never compromise your values or culture for anything.”
The abrupt exit comes on the heels of a period in the fashion industry when the eb and flow of creative director positions looked a lot like a game of musical chairs. The Spring/Summer 2023 season saw designer Maximilian Davis make his debut for Ferragamo, while Marco de Vincenzo stepped up to the plate for Etro, Ib Kamara followed Virgil Abloh at Off-White and Villaseñor led Bally.
The Fall/Winter season saw Harris Reed take the reins at Nina Ricci, Daniel Lee steer Burberry and Ludovic de Saint Sernin helmed Ann Demeulemeester.
Villaseñor’s departure came just one week ahead of the announcement that de Saint Sernin would be also stepping down from his new role at Ann Demeulemeester, just two months after presenting his debut collection for the fashion house.
While Bally continues to blossom, evolve and transform, we cant wait to see what Bellotti has up his sleeve for his debut collection. Our calendars are marked for Milan Fashion Week this September.
