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Bally finally has a new owner. JAB, the investment vehicle of Germany’s billionaire Reimann family, has sold the 173-year-old Swiss brand to US-based investment firm Regent, whose portfolio includes Club Monaco, Escada and La Senza.
The acquisition comes six years after JAB inked a deal to offload Bally to Chinese conglomerate Shandong Ruyi, which later fell through. JAB has owned the luxury footwear, fashion and accessories brand since 2008 (it is also the controlling shareholder of beauty firm Coty, among other companies).
“Bally is one of the world’s great heritage luxury brands,” said Michael Reinstein, founder and chairman of Regent, in a statement. “Its legacy, built on over 170 years of timeless design and unparalleled quality, is a testament to refined Swiss elegance and an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship.”
Joachim Creus, managing partner, vice chairman and CEO of JAB, added: “Since our first investment in Bally, the brand has undergone significant operational and creative evolution. Today, it enjoys global recognition, and its latest creative direction has been celebrated worldwide. It has been a privilege to own this storied brand, and we will watch its future with great interest.”
The sale follows a succession of creative shake-ups at Bally. Rhuigi Villaseñor joined in 2022 and was tasked with rejuvenating the brand. While known for its Swiss-Italian craftsmanship and a history of innovation — including creating the reindeer boots worn by Tenzing Norgay during the first-ever ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 — CEO Nicolas Girotto felt there was room to supercharge its performance with a more modern take, new categories and a return to showing at fashion week. However, Villaseñor exited just over a year later, in May 2023.
Two weeks later, the company named Simone Bellotti as design director. Bellotti spent 16 years at Gucci under Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele before joining Bally’s design team in October 2022. His debut for Spring/Summer 2024 was praised for its “considered and gentle” approach to Bally’s heritage, which was “consistent enough to be further explored and moved forward”, wrote Vogue Runway’s Tiziana Cardini. She concluded: “Bally needs no fancy twists and turns or avant-garde fashion positioning, rather a modern, intelligent, focused refresh of its historical codes.”
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