OTB Taps Simone Bellotti as Jil Sander’s Creative Director

Bally’s creative director Simone Bellotti is decamping to Jil Sander, which recently parted ways with designer duo Lucie and Luke Meier. Renzo Rosso, chairman of Jil Sander’s owner OTB, highlighted Bellotti’s “extensive experience and distinct talent” in a statement confirming the move.

Industry interest in Bellotti — who cut his teeth in the studios of A.F. Vandervorst, Gianfranco Ferré, Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta prior to a 16-year stint designing menswear for Gucci — exploded over the past year following standout runway shows for Swiss brand Bally, where he was promoted to creative director in May 2023 after Rhuigi Villaseñor’s exit.

Bellotti’s collections — which delivered a textured, innovative interpretation of Swiss identity, combining rigorous engineering with references to Dada and green Alpine landscapes — turned the once stale brand into a hot ticket at Milan Fashion Week.

The new appointment comes just over a month after former Fendi chief Serge Brunschwig was named CEO of Jil Sander, as well as chief strategy officer of OTB.

The group acquired Jil Sander in March 2021, when the label’s annual revenues were around $92 million. Under designers Luke and Lucie Meier, who stayed on following the deal, the brand grew sales revenues and enjoyed industry goodwill.

Like many luxury labels, however, Jil Sander has faced challenges as it navigates a slowdown in demand for high-end products, which hit brands exposed to wholesale and multi-brand e-commerce particularly hard. Group turnover at OTB slipped 4 percent to €1.8 billion (1.95 billion) last year after rising sales at its flagship Diesel and Margiela units failed to offset declines at Jil Sander and Marni.