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News Bites | Bally x Swizz Beatz, Fashion Tech Lab's Stellar Advisory Board

In today's News Bites, why Bally has collaborated with Swizz Beats, while Miroslava Duma has appointed Diego Della Valle, Alexandre Arnault and Gabriela Hearst to the Fashion Tech Lab advisory board.
Bally x Swizz Beatz men's Hercules Shoe | Source: Courtesy
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  • BoF Team

Welcome to News Bites, BoF's regular compilation of the stories that have got the industry talking.

Bally has collaborated with hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz on a capsule collection.

“Bally Collective, curated by Swizz Beatz,” will launch globally in October and will comprise of accessories and ready-to-wear pieces featuring prints designed by Spanish artist Ricardo Cavolo.

The hip-hop producer, nee Kasseem Dean — who recently made headlines when he accused Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia of copying a Ruff Ryders logo-print shirt — is no stranger to fashion, having collaborated with a number of high profile brands in the past, including Reebok and Christian Louboutin.

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This particular partnership, however, involves the No Commission project, a partnership between Swizz’s The Dean Collection initiative and Bacardi that aims to empower artistic talent by giving them a space to exhibit and sell their work free of overhead charges. It was through this initiative that Swizz first met Cavolo.

For Bally, meanwhile, the collaboration takes a lead from its past. Bally chief executive Frédéric De Narp noted that rappers Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh were fans of Bally in the 1980s, and the Swizz Beatz partnership references that history. “Bally's strategy is to capitalise on its authentic heritage and universal quality recognition and to take it to the next level for today’s world,” he told BoF.

De Narp explained that the partnership forms part of a wider company strategy, too. "We've been working tirelessly to clarify who Bally is and what we stand for over the past three years, and if we've learned anything, it's that success is born from integrity," he said. "This partnership celebrates not only Bally's passion for collaboration, but also brings back the electricity that you could feel in the '80s and '90s, connecting Bally with the urban world." — Tamison O'Connor

Diego Della Valle, Alexandre Arnault and Gabriela Hearst are among the new members of Fashion Tech Lab's advisory board.

Also joining the board are entrepreneur, philanthropist and author Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen and media executive and investor Austin Hearst.

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Miroslava Duma and Delfina Delettrez Fendi | Source: Courtesy

FTL, launched by entrepreneur Miroslava Duma in May, is a venture that funds and develops cutting-edge technologies with the aim of accelerating the fashion industry's efforts to be more innovative and sustainable. The company's investment arm has secured at least $50 million to invest in sustainable companies like Diamond Foundry and Orange Fiber.

FTL's first ever brand event is to take place during Paris Fashion Week in October, and Delfina Delettrez Fendi has been appointed chief creative curator. Delettrez Fendi has been tasked with showcasing FTL's most groundbreaking technologies in an "unusual and spectacular way." — Tamara Abraham

Do you have a story for News Bites? Email newsbites@businessoffashion.com.

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