Brian Atwood | Welcome in Ballywood

At first sight, the combination of Bally and Brian Atwood seems as odd as the marriage of a Swiss army knife to an iPod. Bally, the Swiss shoe company that has just been taken over by the Labelux group, has been in business for 157 years now. Their products are quality-conscious, function-oriented and somehow frozen in venerability. On the other hand, 39-year old sunny boy Brian Atwood, eldest son of an upper class family from Chicago, has just go-started. His trademarks are irrationally high heels and extremely modern design.

Nevertheless, he has chosen to accept the job as creative director at Bally, and what appeared to be a misalliance, seems to be working out just splendidly: the repertoire—shoes, bags, women’s and men’s wear—has been updated without abandoning the timeless chic and the top quality which the company stands for. To implement this trend, Atwood has resorted to just a few, cleverly opted effects: a fashionable 40’s style wedge heel here and a big handbag made from shiny python leather there, the flowing fabrics in flattering colors which he used for the elegant cruise collection or silk tunics embellished with ethno patterns and tassels for the hippiesque ready-to-wear summer collection.

You wouldn’t necessarily expect that much sensitivity from Brian Atwood, who, together with his interior-designer boyfriend Nate Berkus, belongs to USA’s young jet set clique and who constantly repeats words like “great,” “sexy” and “big.” But this inclination to beautiful pretence might be just the right remedy to polish up the old label.

When you first encounter a woman, what do you pay attention to?
Her shoes!

Do you really?
Well, first it’s definitely the impact of the women herself whether it is her face or her whole appearance but the last look is definitely the shoes because they can round off the whole image.

OK, what kind of shoes am I wearing today?
Very good question! No, actually I didn’t pay attention—but that’s an exception.

Why are the shoes so significant?
Well, they tell me a lot about a woman. The relationship between a woman and her shoes is almost magical: Just think about Cinderella. The shoe changed her life! But they also have an influence in the real world, they change your outlook, the way you walk. Shoes lift your spirits.

Is that the reason why women are willing to suffer for shoes? Because men are not…
Men are not. I won’t! I think it’s the sex appeal. Once they are in that shoe no one can tell them anything. It gives them such a feeling of power and it’s almost like they become superwoman.

Too bad, though, that fashion and comfort still seem to be incompatible.
At least there are some features that allow more comfort: well-balanced heels or extra padding. Some designers—and I know that we are doing it too—undertake studies in order to find out how high heels can be made more comfortable. After all, women don’t just want to run from their car to the couch anymore. Bally actually patented a soft, flexible sole years ago, and I am now using it in the women’s collection as well.

Manolo Blahnik was the first shoe designer who made a claim to fame. He was followed by Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin. Now the hype is about you. Sarah Jessica Parker wears Brian Atwood shoes in the “Sex and the City” movie that will come to theaters towards the end of May.
Of course it is very flattering to be counted among that league, but I have to say that I did work hard for that. (laughs)

Don’t you think that “Sex and the City” simply was a great move by the shoe industry anyway?
What the show did for shoes is definitely invaluable! Ever since, it has been accepted that a woman buys a pair of shoes even if she can’t pay the rent afterwards.

But it can get out of hand and turn into an obsession, like in the case of Imelda Marcos.
I think the term obsession goes a bit too far: I would say that she is a collector.

So you find even this outgrowth of a shoe craze legitimate?
If the person has enough space for them, there is nothing to be said against it. People collect art and jewelry, so why not shoes?

Is there still a difference between fashion and shoe designers at all?  In the old days, both fields were strictly separated. Nowadays, especially at big luxury labels, more and more accessory designers have been promoted to creative directors. This is surely also because in the meantime, a high percentage of the sales volume is being achieved through accessories. At Bally, you too, are responsible for everything from shoes, to bags to the clothing range.
I think that those different fields are interlacing more and more. The respective aesthetics aren’t as distinctly separate anymore, and can be easily translated from shoes to handbags and clothing. Incidentally, after my studies I started to work in the clothing manufacturing business, but I always sketched the matching shoes right from the beginning. To me, it was always about the complete look.

Compared to your philosophy, Bally’s values have appeared sort of old school until now. Why were you hired?
At first, I thought they only wanted me so their fashion would become sexier. But right at the beginning, I spent two days in Bally’s archive and felt like a little kid in a candy store. I opened every box and completely lost track of time. To me, it was like a light bulb moment to see that Bally; in respect to quality and the creativity of design, was on a level with Ferragamo. The brand really did set trends. Ever since, I have believed that Bally and Brian Atwood make a great combination.

Your first collection has just hit the stores. How are the reactions?
I think we managed to make people curious. Especially in the Milan branch, I am observing that way more younger, fashion-conscious people are coming into the store. The image of the brand is starting to change. And the last two ad campaigns have definitely contributed to that. But this is just the beginning! Wait for the next campaign that we just shot with photographer Mario Sorrenti and stylist Lori Goldstein in New York.

These two names are well known in the fashion business. You like to surround yourself with celebrities and you are friends with many of them. How important are these connections to you?
Extremely important—our society has become celebrity obsessed. You see all these Internet blogs, they are all about who is wearing what and the interest in these issues is increasing. Most of the celebrities have become friends, when you are in the same creative field you tend to stick together.

I guess it was not a problem to get them excited about Bally.
Not at all. Meanwhile, we have quite a lot of fans: Brad Pitt has been carrying a bag of ours for a month now, and yesterday Kate Bosworth called me up about a dress. That alone says more about the brand than anything else. The word is out.

So you don’t have to talk them into wearing the product, as is usually the case?
No, they contact us. It’s much better that way than peddling your stuff.

So Brad Pitt really called you personally?
No, he called up our PR agency in New York or Los Angeles. But some of the other celebrities call me personally.

You studied at the New York Fashion Institute and first worked as a model. Your actual career then got started at Gianni Versace in 1996.
It all happened very fast. I had just told my agent that I didn’t want to model anymore and I handwrote up my résumé, and I delivered it to Versace. When I came back to my apartment there was already a message on my answering machine: Versace invited me for an interview. When I first sat there in front of him, I felt like an artist meeting Picasso saying: ”Hey, do you want to work with me?”

You were soon promoted to head designer for women’s accessories.
Even back then, Gianni already had the idea of expanding the accessory range. It started with shoes, then bags, then a collection, and later whole groups. Back then accessories weren’t as important as they are today, by far. But he envisioned that this field would develop. He also knew that branding counted at least as much as fashion itself.

Five years later, you founded your own label. How important were those years at Versace for your success?
No school could have taught me what I learned there. I really was in the center of the fashion world; actually, at the top level. There’s quite pressure up there and it never declines. Every three to four months comes the next hurdle, but it always keeps you on your feet!

Text & Interview > Susanne Haase

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