Bally Celebrates 160 Years

I came across this ancient Swiss shoe company, Bally, that has documented their 160-year history in a You Tube video. It is so interesting to see how much impact one shoe company has had on society as well as the economy as a whole. Just to give some quick background, the Bally Shoe company was founded as "Bally & Co" high fashion in 1851 by Carl Franz Bally and his brother Fritz in the basement of their family home in Schönenwerd in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. In 1854, a shoe factory was set up in the village, but Fritz Bally left the business and Carl Franz Bally carried on under the corporate name "C.F. Bally."

The company only skyrocketed from there. The company then went on to go public in 1907. The added capital allowed massive expansion for their much-in-demand shoes, and by 1916, they employed more than 7,000 people!

It is very interesting to see the corporate image of the company as well. As you can see from the company’s video, they depict their image as being a high fashion, high demand, and prestigious leather shoemaker. From their advertisements in magazines to their elaborate store displays and locations, Bally communicates their goal to be at the pinnacle of fine leather footwear across the globe.

However, what is also interesting is the juxtaposition of their clips of the behind the scenes manufacturing and fine detailing that goes into each shoe. There is so much that goes into making the shoe, so many knowledgeable people and skillful artisans who go unnoticed. We often get sidetracked by the fancy repackaged versions of consumer products so much, we loose site of the art which is involved at its inception.

In addition, another interesting discussion is how this company has managed to stay afloat for all these years. One of the most attributing factors and why I respect this company so much is because they got to where they are today because of their dedication to excellent finish, quality of the material and refined decoration. Nothing can stop Bally's evolution; the company constantly grows, reaching more and more markets.

It is not by chance either, that Bally is has reached such a large market. They do not cut corners, look for economies of scale, or skimp out on quality and rely on their name to make money. Instead, they follow the model of being your humble, quality shoe company as they have been in the 1800’s. The reason this grabs me so much is because in today’s culture, we see so many companies that are cutting costs and relying on the economies of scale they can get from manufacturing oversees such as in China, where fine needle work is cheap, and quantities are large. More interestingly, however, is how many apparel companies have tanked because of this heavy reliance of foreign manufacturing. We are seeing a trend of companies cutting back on volume, going back to their roots, and focusing on core products. Isn’t it about time we follow the Bally model?