on wednesday, bally of switzerland presented their first ever men's shoes collaboration with london's central saint martins (CSM). staged within one of the beautiful rooms at claridges hotel, we were shown the fruits of labour between bally and CSM student craig green. four styles with two color variations each were produced, featuring materials like felt, suede, canvas and calf leathers combined in rather unique ways.
my favourite pair from this collection is the above grey felt and black calf leather lace ups x buckled shoes. i must admit the styling seems to be way different to the usual bally styles i've seen in stores, but i guess part of the excitement in this collaboration is to see new talents reinterpreting classic bally styles. i thought it was a really nice effort of bally to collaborate with a design school, to contribute to the development and nurture the students in such a tangible way. the shoes aren't just produced as part of a design project. it will also be available for sale in bally's stores around july 2011.
here are a few other styles:
here are a few other styles:
granted it's not everyone's cup of tea, it's a great concept. i really like the idea and wonderful meaning behind it. hope the partnership will continue into spring 2012 too.
+
+