Bally Taps Roy Wang as New Global Brand Ambassador
BALLY FACE: Joining fellow luxury fashion companies, Bally has secured a new global brand ambassador, tapping young Chinese singer and actor Roy Wang for the role.
As result, Wang will front the label’s fall 2023 advertising images photographed in Switzerland, where he was able to also visit Villa Heleneum, home to the Bally Foundation for art and culture. Wang will also appear in regional festivity campaigns, such as for Chinese Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year.
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With a combined social media following of nearly 100 million, Wang’s popularity across China is expected to attract new generations — especially his Gen Z fan base — to the brand and further build on Bally’s presence in the market, where the company has 60 stores on the mainland and online distribution via Bally.cn, Bally WeChat Mini-Program, Tmall Luxury Pavilion and JD.com.
“The versatility of his multidisciplinary career, coupled with his social engagement and modern sense of style, perfectly match with Bally’s pioneering spirit and values,” said Bally’s chief executive officer Nicolas Girotto about Wang.
Wang described Bally as “a brand with such a rich history that combines heritage and innovation to uniquely represent Swiss luxury.”
Born in Chongqing in 2000, Wang first rose to fame in his teen years in 2013 as a member of Chinese idol group TFBoys, next to Karry Wang and Jackson Yee. Within a year of their debut, the trio became one of the most popular and successful artists in China, and were seen as a pop-culture sensation that gained widespread popularity throughout Asia.
Since his debut Wang has leveraged his fame to support social causes, having established the Yuan Foundation to aid the elderly and children in 2017, and being named a UNICEF ambassador the following year. He has also participated in United Nations speaking engagements for three years in a row.
Wang was acknowledged by Time magazine as one of the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017 and entered the Forbes China 100 celebrities list in 2019.
In 2019, he released his debut solo album, “Yuan.” As China’s youngest touring singer, Wang held his first solo tour in 2023. This summer he is touring again, also with his bandmates, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of TFBoys in August.
Bally is the latest to reveal the ambassadorship of a Chinese talent. As reported, most recently Moschino tapped Chinese musician, actress and entertainer Yu Shu Xin, aka Esther Yu, as its new house ambassador; Valentino opted for popular Chinese actor Yang Yang, while Prada picked basketball player Shuyu Yang for the role. Earlier this year, Burberry named the high-profile actor Chen Kun as its latest global brand ambassador, the brand’s first Chinese one in two years.
Meanwhile, Bally named Gucci alum Simone Bellotti as its new design director, following the exit of Rhuigi Villaseñor, who held the title of creative director and had joined the company in January last year. Bellotti’s first collection for Bally will be presented with a show during Milan Fashion Week in September.
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