Bally F/W 2025.26 Milan

[FashionFanatico]

also the original work of Luciano Castelli where they try to riff from looks way cooler that this clumsy rehash of fake edgy intelectual.

(Luciano Castelli a queer Swiss painter, graphic artist, photographer, sculptor and musician.
Born: September 28, 1951 (age 73 years), Lucerne, Switzerland)

it's not enough to just use his work and style for decor on clothes and make up, it has no true intention other that to look strange /edgy with no story or meaning.

C class Raf vibes its giving

all picture rights to artist Luciano Castelli

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This is clearly a spiritual homage as in every collection for BALLY by Bellotti.
He follows a theme that has something to to with a Swiss culture influence from the past or present. Some are bigger, some are very niche.

In the reading to the show it's included a reference to Swiss performance artist Luciano Castelli.
I was happy to learn about someone I didn’t know about.

He always pays respect to the inspirations he uses! For his debut collection, Bellotti drew inspiration from the Monte Verita story, an old tale of a Swiss utopia centered around "an alternative Swiss community who settled in Ascona on Lake Maggiore around the turn of the 20th century." It's fitting inspo point when ushering a Swiss brand into a new era.

The Bally's Spring/Summer 2025 collection was inspired by Dada, one of the most avant of all avant-garde art movements, born in Zürich, Switzerland.
Bellotti's Dadaist homage was more spiritual than literal. A playful collage of attitudes and personas takes shape, revisiting Bally’s heritage with an irreverent energy.That's why he made it work.

Set amidst the iconic heights of Torre Velasca in Milan, the Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show offered continuing themes of Swiss precision and formality, disrupted by wild elements such as texture and materiality, resulting in a striking contrast. The German words "Leistung" and "Aufführung" both translate as "performance", the first based on achievement and the second self-expression. This duality of meaning informed a collection which navigates the parallels of routine and release. These interpretations coexist in tension, reflecting Creative Director Simone Bellotti's exploration of structure versus fluidity.

Bellotti always openly talks and writes about what was his main inspirations for his work.

For the Fall/Winter 2024 campaign, Simone Bellotti even blended the echoes of the past and present and payed an open tribute.
Bridging generations and subcultures, he unveiled the campaign as a visual dialogue between Switzerland's rebellious past and its luxurious present. His collection, aptly titled "Der Wanderer", traverses the landscape of Swiss heritage with an unmistakable edge.

Photographer Olivier Kervern captures BALLY's latest offerings in a series of compelling diptychs. These juxtapose the collection's modern interpretations against the gritty, monochromatic world of 1960s Zurich, immortalized by the late Swiss artist Karlheinz Weinberger. Weinberger's work, which captured the emergence of Swiss subcultures in the early 1960s, reveals characters at the crossroads of European tradition and a new punk energy. This historical context provides a rich backdrop for BALLY's contemporary designs, highlighting the brand's evolution while honoring its Swiss roots.

Of course SWISS artist Weinberger got payed handsomely by BALLY for using his original photos from the past for the campaign.



Bally

 

[Deneuve]

loved this campaign!
rare to see nowadays when a designer celebrates another artist, he admires

the latest collection is too heavy handed and intellectually overthought (is this an impression?) for my taste
would be interesting to see Bellotti at a real luxury house, working for Bally is a constant rollercoaster with people exiting on a daily basis

 

[jeanclaude]

So many inspirations, references and themes...to end making clothes which made models look like Quasimodo.

 

[tricotineacetat]

if it were that easy, more brands would be doing it successfully. but the reality of the market in 2025 makes it far more complicated. anyway, they sold the brand to the owners of club monaco, so i doubt we’ll be talking about bally much longer.

Last time I checked, Bally sold pumps in the range of 650 - 790€. Hardly more accessible than the shoes offered by the leading luxury goods brands that have much bigger visibility and marketing to demand such prices.

I don‘t think Bally needs to be so expensive and instead focus on offering a decently priced high quality product that people want to buy even without the halo effect of a RTW that nobody asked for from this house. There are countless shoe and leather goods brands like Aeyde or Polène who are good examples how it‘s done.

 

[tatouejeremie]

Last time I checked, Bally sold pumps in the range of 650 - 790€. Hardly more accessible than the shoes offered by the leading luxury goods brands that have much bigger visibility and marketing to demand such prices.

I don‘t think Bally needs to be so expensive and instead focus on offering a decently priced high quality product that people want to buy even without the halo effect of a RTW that nobody asked for from this house. There are countless shoe and leather goods brands like Aeyde or Polène who are good examples how it‘s done.

people keep acting like there’s some huge, untapped market for ‘well-priced luxury shoes and bags’ when in reality, it’s a bloodbath. the brands you’re mentioning - Aeyde, Polène - are playing in a totally different league, appealing to a completely different customer. bally is/was competing with heritage luxury brands, not minimalist direct-to-consumer startups.

also, this idea that a fashion narrative isn’t necessary? that only works if your product is already iconic or your name carries weight. bally doesn’t have that kind of cachet. without a point of view, they’d just be another brand fading into irrelevance.

as for whether the RTW is ‘working’ - press matters. visibility matters. you don’t go from a forgotten brand to a must-have overnight, but getting people to actually talk about bally again is a necessary first step. you can’t sell a dream if no one’s paying attention.

and let’s be honest, the ‘just make great shoes’ argument is naive. a mid-tier accessories brand in 2025? good luck standing out when everyone is pumping out the same ‘quiet luxury’ basics. at least bally is trying to be something more.

 

[Lola701]

Last time I checked, Bally sold pumps in the range of 650 - 790€. Hardly more accessible than the shoes offered by the leading luxury goods brands that have much bigger visibility and marketing to demand such prices.

I don‘t think Bally needs to be so expensive and instead focus on offering a decently priced high quality product that people want to buy even without the halo effect of a RTW that nobody asked for from this house. There are countless shoe and leather goods brands like Aeyde or Polène who are good examples how it‘s done.

But Polene and Bally don’t have the same positioning. I think Bally is well priced for an heritage brand actually. The thing is that their products are just fine, not desirable.

Polene is a contemporary brand. And I would say that Polene could be seen like Longchamp (without the heritage). It’s not even Mulberry level.

Polene has just the cachet of a new exciting brand but their clientele is mostly professional active women who wants an honest product. It’s not about luxury.

The thing about Bally is that it has never been a leading brand. It’s like Akris.
But for some reason, they are trying to be part of the fashion conversation. Yet despite the reviews and the support of the press, I don’t see items that have the power to push the brand to another stage.