For us at ACHTUNG, Bally is always a brand to watch. Owned by the German Reimann family clan which is based around Mannheim and as secretive as only German billionaires can be, at the core it is a Swiss shoe brand which has had a crazy recent past with multiple designer and CEO changes where even the headquarter was moved to London for a quick moment by CEO Frédéric de Narp. Currently it is experiencing a renaissance in the capable hands of designer Simone Bellotti who has an impressive luxury fashion house CV, and a clear vision of what Bally should be: A Swiss luxury brand. The last designer Los Angeles-based Rhuigi Villasenor had different ideas and tried to channel a West Coast vibe without success.
Bally F/W 2024 under creative director Simone Bellotti favours of the moment single breasted jackets
Bellotti had an interesting debut show which we missed but had the industry talking and we saw his second runway outing in Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan last night. It was a success with its Swiss cow bells as bags and as ornaments on jackets and vests, lots of black leather and a Lodenmantel (Loden coat) leitmotiv which felt super alpine and Swiss. Bellotti seems attracted by classic Swiss associations like watches and banks but he’s cleverly going deeper and looking for more irrational and organic things so that his mood board was full of Appenzeller Fasnacht costumes which have a subversive fashion lineage. Bellotti loves to add elements which are out of control where most outerwear had a furry back and clean front.
Swiss cowbell ornaments
Simone Bellotti’s moodboard for Bally F/W 2024
Furry elements
Karlheinz Weinberger and Beni Bischof?
The cult Swiss art photographer famous for his rock’n’roll and biker culture photos in alpine settings from the 50’s and 60’s was up on Bellotti’s mood board and informed his hair and makeup direction with bouffant hairdos as well as the usage of lots of black leather outfits. Bellotti’s skill is to infuse them with an attitude of 2024, so they were all cut extremely oversized with airy backsides. He also left a Bally zine with illustrations of Beni Bischof whose irreverent portraits of Swissness are cult in Zurich. Finally, Bally goes where the good stuff is in Switzerland. Maybe Walter Pfeiffer is next?
Karlheinz Weinberger – Photos 1954-1995
Lots of black leather at Bally F/W 2024
Beni Bischof illustrations for the Bally zine
When styling is on point?
Fashion always happens when archetypes collide. So, a men’s look of simple jeans worn with over the knee leather boots, accessorized with a handbag and combined with a simple navy sweater plus small cap and sunglasses give this new Bally a desirable look and show the new expertise in elevating wardrobe basics.
