We report the H-type self-aggregation of a new linear water-soluble BODIPY bolaamphiphile equipped with amide groups and oligoethylene glycol chains. Intermolecular pi-pi interactions, amide-based hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions lead to a highly cooperative self-assembly process. Detailed spectroscopic studies suggest that strong hydrophobic interactions are the driving force for a rotational displacement of the dye molecules within the stack in order to shield the hydrophobic pi-system from water molecules. The so formed highly-ordered micellar structures have been further characterized by NMR, AFM, TEM, DLS studies and theoretical calculations. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.