The Canessa brothers have been reunited. Ballantyne, taken over in 2004 by Alfredo Canessa and investment funds group Charme, has entrusted its presidency to Giacomo Canessa; he will follow Giuseppe Rossi as the man responsible for the general management of the group.

With a wealth of experience in knitwear, knitted items and cashmere, Giacomo Canessa “will assure the continued growth of the brand as well as its modernization”, declared Ballantyne in a press release.

In fact, things have been developing already over the past two years; developed design for example, with the arrival of Dawidh di Firmo last year. Since then, the new artistic director has renewed both the men and women’s off-the-peg range and encouraged new style orientations without neglecting the brand’s bestsellers such as cardigans and knitted tops, which are now available in a variety of colours. Children’s wear also made its debut at the beginning of the year; an advance preview of the first collection having been presented at Pitti Bimbo in Florence in January. It is expected in stores for the Autumn/Winter 2009/2010 season.

Retail has also come under the microscope recently as the total number of commercial outlets has almost doubled in two years. Ballantyne has opened its own boutiques in Milan, London, Tokyo, Florence and most recently in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Portofino. Far from running out of steam, the brand has maintained its rhythm over the past few years with arrivals in strategic cities.

By Jonathan Fulwell (Source: Emilie-Alice Fabrizi)