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Bally has named Simone Bellotti as its new design director, the Swiss luxury brand announced on Wednesday. Bellotti, who spent 16 years at Gucci before joining Bally’s design team in October, succeeds former designer Rhuigi Villaseñor who left the house in May after less than two years.
In his new role, Bellotti will lead Bally’s design studio and is said to bring “a deep understanding of both ready-to-wear tailoring and accessories craftsmanship”, according to the release. “It is a great honour to be appointed Bally’s design director and trusted with contributing to Bally’s extraordinary legacy,” Bellotti said in a statement. His first collection for Bally will be presented during a fashion show at Milan Fashion Week in September.
The Rhude founder is leaving as creative director of Bally after joining in January 2022.
At Gucci, Bellotti held various positions, including senior menswear designer and, most recently, head of men’s ready-to-wear. Prior to joining Gucci in 2007, Bellotti worked as a senior menswear designer at Dolce and Gabbana, Bottega Venetta and Gianfranco Ferré.
The news comes two weeks after Bally announced Rhude founder Rhuigi Villaseñor would be stepping down as the brand’s creative director. He had been at the centre of the house’s turnaround efforts to rejuvenate the brand and connect with younger customers and presented its first runway show in 20 years last September. His follow-up show for Autumn/Winter 2023 in February ended up being his last for the brand. Bally, which is owned by JAB Holdings, does not report sales figures but reported a year-to-date increase of 20 per cent compared to 2022.
Bally CEO Nicolas Girotto said in a statement: “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.”
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