Modern era
From 1977 to 1999, Bally was owned by Oerlikon-Bührle. The brand first entered China in 1986, and the country has become its largest market since.[10]
After plans for an initial public offering were called off in 1998, Texas Pacific Group acquired Bally from Oerlikon-Bührle.[1] From 1999 to 2001, the company moved most of its activities from Schönenwerd to Caslano.[11]
In 2008, Texas Pacific Group sold Bally International AG to Vienna-based Labelux Group, part of Joh A. Benckiser,[12] for $596 million.[1] JAB moved Bally's headquarters to London.[13]
The company announced Frédéric de Narp, a former executive at Harry Winston, would become its chief executive officer in November 2013.[14] During his tenure, de Narp worked with Pablo Coppola as design director (2014–2016),[13] hired David Chipperfield to refurbish the brand's stores and put a bigger focus on womenswear.[10] In 2015, Bally took over Italian leather goods company Zagliani's Milan atelier for its in-house production of high-end bags and accessories.[15] From 2017, the company started to consolidate its operations in Milan and Caslano.[13] That same year, the company also opened a new, 15,120 square feet manufacturing facility in Lastra a Signa.[13]
In February 2018, owner JAB Holding Company agreed to sell a majority controlling stake to Chinese materials conglomerate Shandong Ruyi,[16] at a reported $700 million.[17] Bally was to become Shandong Ruyi’s first major acquisition in the European luxury accessories space,[10] and JAB planned to retain a minority stake.[10] However, the sale agreement between JAB Holdings and Shandong Ruyi failed to materialize[1] after the latter didn't manage to secure financing by 2020, more than two years after the deal was announced.[18]
Instead of seeking a new buyer, JAB decided to reinvest.[1] In May 2019, Bally appointed its COO Nicolas Girotto, who joined the company in October 2015 and sat on the brand's board of directors and executive committee, as new CEO.[19] In January 2022, Rhuigi Villaseñor was appointed as creative director. Rhuigi was previously founder, CEO, and creative director of the luxury streetwear brand Rhude.[20][21] In May 2023, after only two collections, Bally and Villaseñor jointly announced his departure from the brand.[22]
Two weeks after the announcement of Villaseñor's departure, Simone Belloti was appointed as design director.[23] In 2024, Bally worked with actor Adrien Brody on a travel collection.[24]
Bally was acquired in August 2024 by California-based private equity firm Regent.[25][26][27] In 2025, Girotto exited the brand, succeeded by Ennio Fontana.[28]
