Swiss design since 1851

1851

Carl Franz Bally founds the eponymous company in Schönenwerd, Switzerland with a vision to create exquisite footwear from the finest leather, using the most innovative craftsmanship: creations with a strong sense of functionality and modernity.




Bally Launches
Bally Launches Bally Launches

1860

Bally employs 500 craftsmen and transforms the village of Schönenwerd into a Company Town, offering a host of benefits from healthcare to social amenities.

Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits

1870

Bally imports revolutionary machinery from the United States, accelerating its ascent into becoming the leading European shoemaker.

Bally Offers Employee Benefits

1870

The first company-owned Bally stores open in Geneva, Switzerland in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits

1873

Global expansion continues with the opening of a store in Buenos Aires.

Bally Offers Employee Benefits

1879

Bally is already at the height of the Parisian fashion scene when the first store in France opens its doors on Rue Martel.

Paris Adopts Bally Shoes

1882

The Bally empire expands to the world-famous New Bond Street in London.

Bally Offers Employee Benefits
Bally Offers Employee Benefits

1880's

The Bally crest is first used as a Company trademark. The crest depicts the stylised Austrian mountains, the birthplace of Carl Franz's ancestors.

Women's Shoes Receive the Crest

1890

Bally revolutionises women's shoe design with the Zürich pump a modern classic.

Women's Pumps are Revolutionised
Women's Pumps are Revolutionised
Women's Pumps are Revolutionised Women's Pumps are Revolutionised Women's Pumps are Revolutionised Women's Pumps are Revolutionised

1896

Innovation in craftsmanship continues when Bally incorporates specialist Goodyear welting techniques into the making of its handmade shoes.

Technology to Pioneer Shoemaking

1916

At the turn of the century, Bally is one of the first global multinationals. The Company employs more than 7,000 people around the world and produces a staggering 4 millions pairs of high quality shoes.

4 million pairs of shoes
4 million pairs of shoes
4 million pairs of shoes

1927

The 'Bally Lab' opens in Schönenwerd as a Research and Development centre, initially focusing on leather craftsmanship techniques and production processes.

The Bally Lab is Created

1928

Acclaimed Modernist architect, Robert Mallet-Stevens reveals a ground-breaking architectural design at the opening of a Paris Store -an event of such significance that the French Minister of Commerce attends its opening.

1930's

German film producer and advertising industry pioneer Julius Pinschewer creates a Bally advertising film featuring Charlie Chaplin.

film featuring Charlie Chaplin for Bally
film featuring Charlie Chaplin for Bally

1939

Inspired by the colours of the national flag depicted on moving Swiss trains, the red and white Bally stripe becomes an iconic design feature: the Trainspotting Stripe.

The Trainspotting Stripe is Created

1942

Bally opens its own museum in Schönenwerd, Switzerland. The Museum showcases invaluable artefacts, recounting the history of mankind through three millennia of footwear creation and design.

Paris Adopts Bally Shoes Paris Adopts Bally Shoes Paris Adopts Bally Shoes
Paris Adopts Bally Shoes Paris Adopts Bally Shoes

1948

The Bally Rominger Ski Boots are worn by gold-medal winners at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics. Bally helps take home the gold in Women's Downhill, Women's Slalom and Men's Slalom.


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1949

Swiss-French Modernist architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, collaborates with Bally, on a project for the Boulevard de la Madeleine store in Paris.




Bally Launches
Bally Launches Bally Launches

1951

The Scribe Shoe is commissioned in celebration of Bally's 100-year Anniversary. The new line epitomises superior craftsmanship and quality: every shoe is made by hand in 200 steps, taking six hours to complete. The Scribe last is designed by Carl Franz Bally's grandson Max, who names the new line after the Hotel Scribe in Paris where he resides. The Scribe Shoe soon becomes one of Bally's most successful and famous products.

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Image description Image description Image description

1953

Sir Edmund Hillary and his climbing companion Sherpa Tenzing Norgay are the first humans to conquer Mount Everest wearing Bally Reindeer-Himalaya boots during the historic ascent.

1968

Celebrated French graphic artist, Bernard Villemot creates exclusive designs for the Bally Poster campaign. The campaign features a range of famous artists designing posters specifically for advertising.

1976

With its core expertise in luxury footwear, Bally extends its offering to clothing, handbags and leather goods for both women and men.

1980's

Bally is one of the first luxury brands to offer its products in the People's Republic of China.

1990

Bally recognises the importance of international growth, especially in Asian and North American markets. In less than a decade, Bally opens and grows its operations in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Lebanon and Turkey.

1995

Celebrated French designer Andrée Putman re-designs the interior of the Zürich Flagship and several other Bally stores.

2014

Argentinian-born, creative mind Pablo Coppola is appointed Design Director at Bally.

2014

Bally, patron of the arts, celebrates Swiss and French architects and designers with 'Function and Modernity' a year-long travelling art exhibition dedicated to Modernity, Function and Innovation.

2014

In late 2014, Bally opens its new Flagship Store on London's New Bond Street. In keeping with Bally's tradition of collaborating with visionary designers, the new concept was invented by David Chipperfield architects. The store provides unique and exclusive Made-to-Order and Shoe Caring services.

2015

In March 2015 the Zagliani atelier became a part of the Bally brand. In this union the Zagliani legacy, renowned for its expertise in handcrafted bags made from the softest, most luxurious leathers and exotic skins, lives on through Bally. Read More

2016

In March 2016 Bally opened its first flagship in Asia, at the Gateway of Tokyo’s Ginza. Bally’s collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects continues with this store, boasting a 50m brass aluminium façade and over 850 square metres spread over two floors. Providing a unique customer experience, the Ginza store offers Made to Order, Made to Colour and Shoe Care services. To celebrate the opening, Bally unveiled an exclusive month long exhibition of its archives, which left Switzerland for the first time. ‘Bally Untold - Part 1: 1851-1951’, opened to the public in April, taking the viewer through 100 years of Bally’s history.

2016

Bally opened its third flagship store on LA’s Rodeo Drive in April. With a striking red marble façade which alludes to the brand’s red and white signature stripe and designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the store represents the fully realised retail vision of Bally.

2016

Artist Andre Saraiva’s beloved pair of vintage Bally boots was the starting point for this unique accessories collection. Each piece, designed for the modern traveller, features the iconic ‘Mr A’ stick figure. Andre also designed a poster for Bally, the first of its kind in more than 25 years, marking the return of this artistic partnership.