MILAN (AP) — U.S. designer Rhuigi Villasenor is leaving his position as creative director of Swiss fashion house Bally, a move announced Tuesday as a joint decision.
Villasenor has led the creative team at Bally since January 2022, helping boost the brand’s visibility with a return to the runway after 20 years and front-row celebrity guests including Adrien Brody, Emily Ratajkowski and Ella Emhoff.
The Filipino-American designer's debut in Milan in September coincided with a flurry of showing collections in Italy's fashion capital.
In a statement, Villasenor called his tenure at Bally “an incredible honor.â€
Bally CEO Nicolas Girotto said Villasenor’s “passion energy and creativity helped catapult Bally back into the spotlight,’’ citing his “modern, glamorous lens.â€
An in-house team at the 170-year-old brand will design collections until “a new creative organization is announced,’’ the fashion house said. Bally plans to present a co-ed collection during Milan Fashion Week in September.
Villasenor's departure comes as the brand reports that sales so far this year are up 20% over the previous year. As part of the brand's relaunch, it reopened its New York flagship store and announced a series of capsule collections with Brody, which are set to debut in January 2024.
