Renato Balestra
Renato Balestra OMRI was an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Balestra brand and company.
Life and career
Early life
Born in Trieste, Renato Balestra grew up immersed in the Mid-European cultural environment. In a family of architects and engineers, he stood out for his artistic spirit and explored painting, music and scenography in his free time.His career in fashion began almost by chance, when friends sent one of his sketches to the Italian Fashion Center : immediately noticed for his talent, he was invited to take part in an Haute Couture show. By 1953, he had achieved such success that he quit his studies in engineering and completed his apprenticeship at Jole Veneziani's atelier.
Considered the "painter of fashion", he created a synergy with Italian Haute Couture, which he deeply transformed over the decades. By the 1970s, he was famous for his signature "Embroidery Painting", based on the original use of materials and actual painting on fabrics of any kind. His mastery of transparencies, through innovation and freedom of expression, spoke to modern, strong, and sensual women.
Rome
In 1954, he moved to Rome and began working as a designer for prestigious fashion houses such as Emilio Schuberth, Maria Antonelli, and the Sorelle Fontana. His strong passion for cinema led him to design costumes for Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa and The Sun also Rises, for Gina Lollobrigida in Beautiful but Dangerous, for Sophia Loren in Lucky to Be a Woman, for Candice Bergen in The Adventurers, and for Shirley Jones, Micheline Presle, and Giorgia Moll in Dark Purpose.Hollywood
As the international jet set noticed his talent more and more, in 1958 he began presenting his collections across the United States, from Los Angeles to New York City. He debuted in Hollywood with actresses such as Zsa Zsa Gabor, Tina Louise, Joan Bennett, Linda Christian, Natalie Wood, Ann Miller, and Arlene Dahl. Appreciated and loved not only for his designs but also for his optimism, he became a favorite of movie stars like Liz Taylor, Claudia Cardinale, Marina Cicogna, Lydia Alfonsi, Daniela Rocca, Yvonne Furneaux, Carroll Baker, Candice Bergen, and Cyd Charisse.1960s
In 1959, Balestra opened his first atelier in Rome at via Gregoriana 36. In 1961, he presented his first spring- summer haute couture collection at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna. Those were the years when "Blu Balestra" first appeared, on a short satin dress: a bright, magical and timeless hue, a unique color that remains an indisputable symbol of the maison to this day.In 1962, Balestra became a member of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, and the Italian Trade Agency chose him to promote Made in Italy quality around the world.
In January 1963, Balestra held his first show in Palazzo Pitti's Sala Bianca, launching a completely new concept of fashion that stood out for its simplicity, accuracy and spontaneity. He developed this new approach designing exclusive collections for Isetan in Tokyo as well as leading American department stores Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Foley's, Neiman Marcus, and Lord & Taylor.
By the end of the 1960s, the Renato Balestra brand was distributed in over 70 American department stores and showcased on runways in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Middle East, and Far East. Soon, clients included the most powerful and elegant women in the world, from first ladies to princesses and empresses. Custom-made gowns and wedding dresses, highlighting various local cultures and materials, created a strong foundation for the designer's long-lasting career.
In 1973, the registration of the Renato Balestra brand was completed. As one of the first designers to believe in licensing, Balestra launched his namesake perfume in 1978 and went on to successfully explore and develop various products: not only fragrances, but also makeup, luggage, eyewear, and homeware.
Uniforms
His creativity enhanced further collaborations and flourished in skillfully executed uniforms for Philippines Airlines, Alitalia Airlines, and for the managers of the Agip Petroli factories.Balestra fashioned clothes for Farah Diba, Empress of Persia, for Imelda Marcos, first lady of the Philippines, and in 1985, in honor of Queen Sirikit of Thailand, he presented at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok the 1985 Spring/Summer collection made entirely in local mudmee silk. He dressed Saudi princesses and for Princess Noor bint Asem of Jordan on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Hamzah bin Hussein Balestra designed a unique wedding gown.
Opera costumes
In 1988, he presented Rosa & Chic on Italian national TV Rai 2: it was the first time a fashion designer was entrusted with his own TV show. In 1991, he wrote his first book: Alla ricerca dello stile perduto, published by Rusconi.Balestra's interest in the arts – including theater – motivated him to design costumes for Cosi è directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Rossini's Cenerentola at the Belgrade Opera House, and Strauss's The Rose-Bearer at the Verdi Theater in Trieste.
Balestra returned to design the costumes for the Cinderella musical produced by Broadway-Asia Entertainment, which went on a global tour from major Asian cities to America from 2009 to 2011. In 2019, he designed both the costumes and the scenography for Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake at the Belgrade Opera House.