Brian Atwood

It's been just over a year since Swiss luxury-accessories company Bally hired American shoe designer Brian Atwood, 40, to infuse some glamour and vitality into the brand. With a résumé that includes a six-year stint at Versace and a namesake shoe line that draws raves from Hollywood, Atwood knows a thing or two about glitz. As Bally's first creative director since 2002, he's also got his mind firmly focused on giving the brand a new look. "Desirability is the main focus," says Atwood. To begin, he dipped into the 157-year-old company's archives of some 13,000 pairs of shoes for inspiration. After pulling ideas to meld into new designs, Atwood set to work creating special pieces for the modern woman. "It's a very fast-moving consumer," he says. "We have to give them the product that they need." He's off to a good start: recent designs include quilted patent-leather beauty cases and a luxurious shoe bag that holds as many as six pairs of shoes.