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.

 

[tricotineacetat]

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.

We can of course continue debating in which tier of market positioning Bally should or should not be in, but I think either way, it’s safe to say Bally is not a brand fashion conscious customers are going to (= the reason they are trying to put “edgy” fashion on the runway) if you can for a similar price (and lower) get better-designed shoes from Pierre Hardy and quite a long list of other designers. The fact that a behind-the-scenes designer has shown but a few collections that were received with mild approval doesn’t give Bally the authority to market products in this price range. I think we can all agree on that, no?

 

[PDFSD]

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.

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Bally

I know the swiss cult tread in the collections ...that's why I said riff not steal or hide :-)
( Riff as in a short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song/to talk about a particular subject in usually a quick and lively way : to deliver a riff on or about a particular subject.)

Karlheinz Weinberger was used by Phoebe Philo at Celine and many more in fashion referenced his work openly for longer time,sure Lucciano is lesser know to the fashion public but that doesn't justify the use in this superficial way as specially when your using for the second time a gay artist that has super queer work as subject you need to go deeper than surface level as a straight male creative director.

its no different when designers just takes from cultures or tribe folklore designs and uses it for decor without further context or exchange of discourse that adds to the conversation.

simply declaring your inspirations does not make the outcome or use of it a more valid statement

its lazy to say the least .

FYI Weinberger is dead and his archived is managed by an individual i know the guy he is also on IG helping to keep the work alive and resorting past photo films etc.

still all the use is empty and superficial just like the outcome and the press release notes you provided does not clarify anything than it being swiss artists.

 

[tricotineacetat]

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.

I don’t think the customer really cares whether or not a brand is a start-up that does direct-to-consumer or is owned by a big conglomerate - You can either command the prices because you’ve cemented your authority (it doesn’t matter if it’s a classical or a fashion forward customer) or you don’t.

Right now, I don’t see anything in Bally’s present offering you can’t get elsewhere - Either better or more competitively priced. Nobody cares whether or not Bally is a historic brand, dating back more than 100 years when the past 10 years of it’s history have seen it go through several designers without any noticeable market perception. I could name a good amount of similar heritage brands in that very situation and worked for some to know.

 

[Lola701]

We can of course continue debating in which tier of market positioning Bally should or should not be in, but I think either way, it’s safe to say Bally is not a brand fashion conscious customers are going to (= the reason they are trying to put “edgy” fashion on the runway) if you can for a similar price (and lower) get better-designed shoes from Pierre Hardy and quite a long list of other designers. The fact that a behind-the-scenes designer has shown but a few collections that were received with mild approval doesn’t give Bally the authority to market products in this price range. I think we can all agree on that, no?

I’m a Pierre Hardy client (so you are talking to me with that alone) and I also agree with your points on a personal level.
My point was more general from a perception of a random client who doesn’t necessarily have all our points.

I will say that, I find their pricing all over the place. The RTW is overpriced, the bags are well priced and the shoes should maybe priced 100 less.

But yes they needs a more special product to have those kind of prices.

Because even if we consider that editors are liking the clothes, they aren’t that special for them to buy. Could an editor spend full retail price at Bally because those pieces are to die for? We know the answer…

 

[tatouejeremie]

I don’t think the customer really cares whether or not a brand is a start-up that does direct-to-consumer or is owned by a big conglomerate - You can either command the prices because you’ve cemented your authority (it doesn’t matter if it’s a classical or a fashion forward customer) or you don’t.

Right now, I don’t see anything in Bally’s present offering you can’t get elsewhere - Either better or more competitively priced. Nobody cares whether or not Bally is a historic brand, dating back more than 100 years when the past 10 years of it’s history have seen it go through several designers without any noticeable market perception. I could name a good amount of similar heritage brands in that very situation and worked for some to know.

You can either command the prices or you don’t’. Sure, but how do you get there? Bally can’t just dictate desirability overnight, building perception takes time and that’s what this RTW push was about.

If no one cares about Bally’s history, it’s because the brand hasn’t made them care. Other labels have revived themselves by reframing their past, heritage is only meaningless if you let it be.

And as for ‘you can get the same thing elsewhere, better or cheaper’, welcome to fashion. That applies to most brands yet plenty still thrive. It’s never just about product.