Renato Balestra

Renato Balestra's strong artistic inclination surfaced at a very young age. He took painting lessons and studied music encouraged by a sophisticated family of architects and engineers. Following in the family footsteps, Renato was to major in engineering until a bet between friends launched him into the world of fashion; behind his back his friends sent one of his dress designs to Milan: he immediately received an invitation to collaborate to a high couture collection to be presented at the legendary Florentine fashion shows.

Renato Balestra has expressed his talent drawing and design doing set designs for the theatre and cinema; but it was the world of fashion that rewarded him with the greatest successes and thus set him on his definitive career.

Today Balestra's atelier designs and has its trademark on some thirty different collections that go from "Ready to Wear" to a complete high fashion for men collection, accessories, furniture and household objects. He also makes perfume both for men and women as well as cosmetics and make-up.

Renato Balestra has designed clothes for Farah Diba, for the Queen of Thailand, for the first ladies of the Philippines and Egypt, for famous names of the international jet set and for beauties like Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Lauren Hutton, Natalie Wood, Edwige Fenech and many more.

But it isn't only t world of fashion that interests Renato Balestra: he is an eclectic man - he takes part in television programmes and has recently written a book entitled "A la recherche du style perdu". A man who loves open air life, sports and gardening, he escapes to his country house outside Rome whenever he can. He enjoys travelling which - he says - is the greatest school of life. He owes it to himself - he adds - to get to know different countries, to come into contact with diverse peoples and cultures, to try to understand their lifestyles, their customs, their philosophy and their religion.

Renato Balestra's life is a balancing act between a lively social life in the international jet set and the simplicity of an unspoilt island in the Far East. But the propelling force in his life is his volcanic creativity which he expresses every day in his work - which is also his passion.