MILAN – After announcing the collaboration last year, Bally will unveil on Tuesday the first travel collection designed with Academy Award-winning actor and artist Adrien Brody. This will also mark his debut as a designer.
Brody’s career and personal interests have taken him on the road throughout his life, and the collection reflects the actor’s experiences.
“We started this project with a specific scope in mind: to create a travel collection made of menswear staples based on Adrien’s lifestyle and extensive travel experiences,” Nicolas Girotto, chief executive officer of Bally, told WWD. “His authentic and recognizable sense of style, attitude and lifestyle made him the perfect fit for this collection. Adrien connects very well and naturally with our audience.”
The executive described the collection as “both seasonless and timeless, wearable [with] exceptional attention to detail. I am impressed by how he infused each piece with his personal sense of aesthetic and style. This was a deeply personal process for Adrien, resulting in a collection made up of items he would love to wear himself. The blend of wearability, quality and ‘Swissness’ is truly impressive.” Bally was established in Schönenwerd, Switzerland, in 1851 by Carl Franz Bally and his brother Fritz.
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For this project, Brody also directed, coproduced the music, and created the narrative for a video appearing on Bally channels, providing the voiceover. “Life’s journey. We all strive to reach the destination, but it’s the road we travel that enables us to arrive with a sense of purpose. We should dress for the adventure,” he says.
Girotto said the video “captures a journey through Adrien’s eyes and creative vision. His voiceover adds a personal touch to the images from his extensive travels. It showcases Adrien’s unique perspective, highlighting the essence of the collection designed for the contemporary traveler.”
Brody was the youngest actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” at age 29 in 2003 and is known for his performances in movies ranging from “The Darjeeling Limited” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” by Wes Anderson to portraying Luca Changretta in the fourth seasons of the BBC series “Peaky Blinders.” He played the role of Arthur Miller in the 2022 Marilyn Monroe biopic “Blonde,” directed by Andrew Dominik.
He is also an accomplished painter and comes from a family of artists as his mother, Sylvia Plachy, is a recognized photographer whose work has been celebrated globally by museums and in numerous books and published works.
Given the inspiration of the collection, its lineup is designed to be resilient and adaptable to any location.
Brody leveraged the quality of Bally’s archives and it fabrics, employing the finest wools, leathers and shearlings for comfy pullovers, peacoats, aviator and bomber styles. There are cashmere and silk separates and coordinated looks, as well as wool and jersey pieces, sharp tailoring and crisp shirting.
Bally’s core tradition in accessories is reflected in the range of luxurious yet practical holdalls and backpacks, trimmed in leather. Dress shoes and boots, biker boots and crested tennis sneakers complete the collection.
Asked about future potential collections with Brody, Girotto said the actor “has been a great partner and I am very proud of the outcome. He was the perfect fit for this project, who knows what the future holds.”
The collection will be available online and in select Bally boutiques worldwide including Zurich, Milan, New York and Tokyo Ginza, and multibrand stores including Saks and LuisaViaRoma.
Retail prices range from $640 for denim to $890 for sneakers and $2,010 for a wool coat.
Brody is no stranger to fashion, as he has appeared in the campaigns for Ermenegildo Zegna around the early 2000s as his career was booming, modeled for Prada’s epic fall 2012 runway show and has also worn Dior and Dolce & Gabbana on the red carpet.
