David Bellion’s new creative career: ‘’I now have the freedom to pursue all of my passions’’

The 41-year-old Frenchman David Bellion is living proof that there’s a whole new life full of possibilities after a football career. He was always a footballer with a great style and was passionate about fashion. Perhaps one of the most critical decisions he made during his playing days was leaving first-tier side Girondins de Bordeaux in 2014, with whom he won Ligue 1 in 2009, for the French third-tier side Red Star FC aged 31. 

He had met Red Star FC’s club president and filmmaker, Patrice Haddad, during Paris Fashion Week. In an interview with Highsnobiety, Bellion revealed that they spoke about everything but football and that that conversation sparked his move to the Parisian football club that has a leadership team who are tapped into the worlds of art and fashion, has strong left-wing political views, and a dedicated community of fans. 

Against all odds

‘’It was against all the odds,’’ said Bellion to Highsnobiety. ‘’It meant dropping from the first tier of French football to the third tier.’’ His wages lowered dramatically and he sold some property to facilitate the move. But in return, he became a part of a creative football club that wanted to be different from any other football club. After playing for the club for two seasons and gaining promotion to Ligue 2, Bellion became Red Star’s creative director. 

‘’As a footballer, despite the incredible opportunity to play the game I love, I always felt constrained by the lack of control I had over my schedule,’’ he said in an interview with Closed. ‘’I longed for more freedom. As a naturally curious person with interests from lifestyle to culture, music and fashion, I saw myself in roles that involved creative direction and brand management. This led me to take on the role of creative director at the Parisian club Red Star. In my new career, I now have the freedom to pursue all of my passions.’’

Super Vision

Because alongside being the creative director of Red Star FC, Bellion also co-founded the SPORT ÉTUDE and TAKEAWAY magazines, does creative consultancy, opened a barbershop, works as a stylist and runs his own agency Super Vision Office, which offers brand management services in the football world, providing personal styling advice or shopping for footballers. 

‘’When I choose clothes, I never go for the most expensive pieces, I get the best clothes that have a sense of the athlete I am styling,’’ said Bellion to Closed. ‘’It’s not a question of price or brand. It’s a question of why am I getting these clothes for this person? Why am I buying these shoes, these socks, this incense holder, these books, this perfume, or why am I associating this athlete with this designer? I create a story around it – I give them what they need and then start to create their own vibe from there.’’ 

He recently also took part in a collaboration between Parisian sandwich shop Paperboy, football lifestyle brand F.C.Real Bristol and the Japanese fashion label SOPH. to create a colourful football-inspired clothing collection. It was displayed in a football tournament that professional and former professional footballers attended, including former Dutch international Ryan Babel, FC Lorient midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko, AS Monaco defender Thilo Kehrer and Boavista defender Vincent Sasso.

Head in the clouds

‘’I’ve always been a dreamer and always will be one,’’ said Bellion to Closed. ‘’I like to think I keep my feet firmly on the ground, but my head is always in the clouds. This mindset propelled me into a career as a professional football player in my first life, and now as a creative consultant in my second. I pour the same passion and energy into my work. I never think of myself as a footballer anymore, I just used to be one.’’