Bally Design Director Simone Bellotti Promoted to Lead Studio

Bally is hiring from within following the departure of former creative director Rhuigi Villaseñor earlier this May.

The Swiss luxury brand has promoted a veteran designer from Gucci’s studio, Simone Bellotti, who will show his first collection in September’s Milan Fashion Week. Bellotti joined Bally last October after 16 years at Gucci. He has also held senior design roles at Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta.

His new leadership role has been announced as Bally seeks to maintain momentum on a brand turnaround spearheaded by CEO Nicolas Girotto and the brand’s owner JAB Holdings. Bellotti’s predecessor, Rhude founder Villaseñor, helped to kickstart the reboot a creative overhaul and fresh logo, but exited the company after little more than a year. Year-to-date, Bally’s sales are up 20 percent compared to 2022, the brand said when Villaseñor stepped down.

Bally was once a top shoemaker in American department stores and gained cultural credibility as an early mover in luxury sneakers, but its market share has steadily dwindled since the early 2000s following a botched pivot to retail and multiple ownership changes. Owner JAB Holding Company has renewed its commitment to relaunching the Swiss brand after lengthy negotiations with Chinese group Ruyi, which had reportedly promised to pay €600 million ($652 million) for the company, failed to result in a sale.

Bellotti’s appointment “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,” Girotto said in a statement.

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Rhuigi Villaseñor Exits Bally

The founder of hit LA-based label Rhude helped kickstart momentum at the Swiss heritage brand after taking up the creative director role in January 2022.