DA MAN: What is the inspiration behind Bally’s men’s fall/winter ’16/’17 collection?
Pablo Coppola: David Hockney and the London set, a sort of contemporary dandy.
DA MAN: What is the most challenging part of preparing this collection?
Pablo Coppola: We always work with many references, which are often very different from one to another. So, the hardest task is to edit ourselves in order to create a consistent collection.
DA MAN: Seeing as to how there are mixes of prints and bright-colored shoes on some looks, how do you constitute men’s formalwear today?
Pablo Coppola: I try to approach designing formalwear in a light and casual manner … so, not too serious and with a little touch of humor.
DA MAN: From the looks shown, “dandy” seems to be a fitting description. But is the menswear industry, particularly Bally, ready to leave last year’s athletic trends behind?
Pablo Coppola: Not at all. Today, you have a totally different type of dandy. He likes his designer sneakers, a leather outerwear piece in a particular color and probably would also mix a printed pajama shirt with a fantastic tailoring piece.
A glamorous and dandy evening look
DA MAN: The brand seems to be taking on more contemporary styles than ever with you at the helm. Do you see this as a necessity or simply a natural evolution?
Pablo Coppola: I don’t think it is a necessity. It is more about our will to update ourselves and create pieces that feel right for now.
DA MAN: The shoes are beautiful, and the woven sneakers are anything but ordinary. Where do you start when designing shoes?
Pablo Coppola: Our design process is very organic. We can start with an image, an evolution of an existing Bally style or, very often, a reference to a shoe from our archives. There are no rules … we trust our instinct, and when you have something good in front of you, you could instinctively feel that it is right.
DA MAN: The leather bags are equally exquisite. Do you employ different design principles when designing bags for men and women?
Pablo Coppola: With bags, we normally start with the leather, then the style of the bag: Is it a handbag or luggage; is it soft or structured; what embellishments do we want to add?
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