photo by H. Berthold

Casa Parinteasca, Balestra Berlin & Isabell de Hillerin
In recent years the ancient fabrics industry in Moldova has been driven to near extinction. Especially the unique art of weaving and embroidering is hardly practiced nowadays and is falling into oblivion. To strengthen this traditional artisan industry, Balestra Berlin works with local Moldavian manufacturers to support the production of handmade materials. The aim is to push these highly skilled craftsmen by implementing their cultural skills in a modern fashion context. This will be achieved by bringing together the Berlin based fashion designer Isabell de Hillerin with local weavers and embroiderers. The exchange of this two different fashion approaches has to be seen as an educational programme with workshops. In this process all parties will learn from each other and exchange their knowledge, share specialists handicraft and experiences. During the workshop days we fused, re- combined, changed, implemented, experimented and developed. We tested new weaving ideas, tried out other materials, explained new cut methods from Berlin, discussed further pattern ideas and colors and worked together on the machines and the materials the entire workshop time. The result is the fashion collection ‘Eclectic Line’ – a modern interpretation of Moldovan traditions with contemporary fashion design. This collection has been presented during the European Week of Art and Culture in Chisinau but also during Berlin Fashion Week 2012.

Tandem is an initiative of European Cultural Foundation, MitOst, Culture Action Europe, Centre for Cultural Management and Soros Foundation Moldova. It was supported by The Open Society Foundations – with contribution of the Arts and Culture Program of Budapest.

Natural American Spirit was in search of a new green & sustainable fashion collection for their promotional activites in 2011. Balestra Berlin devised a startegy which gave NAS an outreach to the green fashion world in Germany. A competition was set up under the strap line “Too many drafts land in the bin”. This was the driving force for young designers to submit their designs with the opportunity to win expert coaching in Corporate Fashion, Substainable Design and Digital Pattern Making in addition to a financial reward. Furthermore the best five participants will be presented at a green showroom during Berlin Fashion Week January 2011.

Contest concept and realisation by Balestra Berlin.

Under the theme ‘acceleration’ Balestra Berlin pushed the green berlin fashion event THEKEY.TO to new pastors. As an official member of Berlin Fashion Week this fashion trade fair attracted over 3000 visitors by showcasing 50 green fashion brands from 8th – 10th July 2010. For THEKEY.TO edition #3 Balestra Berlin took care of the general management, financing, sponsorship, event and sales management. Additionally Balestra Berlin created new side events such as the first THEKEY.TO fashion show, the SUPERSHOP – an outdoor public area, the cozy Salon & Garden as well as the unforgettable closing party.

www.thekey.to

Thekey.to edition #2 in January 2010 promised „Shift“ with a wider selection of green fashion and design brands presented in a new, stylish location in the heart of Berlin – Kreuzberg. With a 30% rise in visitors and exhbitors the event established itself as the green fashion platform of Berlin Fashion Week.
For thekey.to edition #2 Balestra Berlin was in charge of sponsorship, event- and sales management.
We are looking forward realizing thekey.to #3:

7th – 10th July 2010!

www.thekey.to

In summer 2009 Balestra Berlin and GREENaffairs launched a new project and the green partner of the Fashion Week Berlin: THEKEY.TO  - the first international event for green fashion, sustainable lifestyle and culture. Over 30 green fashion brands showed their new collections on 3 floors of an old post office in Neukölln.
Balestra Berlin cooperated with GREENaffairs who were looking for a team that could not only handle the sponsorship and logistical event organization in line with their strict ethical green constitution, but could offer creative conceptual ideas from a variety of specialisations including fashion, design and art.

www.thekey.to

During Berlinale Film Festival in February 2010 the eco-political filmlounge Green Me took place for the 4th time at the Filmhaus Potsdamer Platz. Balestra Berlin assisted the planning and realisation of the room concept as well as organizing the Gala event. We engineered illuminated modules, so called “Drops”, which structured the space and added an extraordinary warm atmosphere to it.
For the Gala event our “Drops” have been animated by remote controlled coloured light, creating an all-night long swing music dancefloor.

www.greenme.de

We are all too familiar with the importance that financing has to play in realising ideas. Since the birth of Balestra Berlin we have strategically financed all our projects through patnerships with various different companies, always managing to forge the right relationships with suitable brands that fit delicately into our concepts.

We decided to open this specialist section in an attempt to offer our expertise at assessing the natural media that is available to companies in the sectors of nightlife, fashion, urban culture and green lifestyle – which is where our specialisations lie. Since early 2008 we have been working with a variety of individuals & small firms to help them find the right sponsors which aim to add to the siginificance of their ventures.

We always make sure that the synergy between creators and sponsors has a lot of personality, because we are convinced that sharing creative concepts enable all parties to grow to the next level.

Question:  How do you reduce the vacant space in a 300sqm room that is only used by 50 people to network at one time?
Answer:     You populate the room with ladies tights loaded with water balloons in black & white, swung & hung along the walls.

In an attempt to change the dynamics of an old canteen that was converted into a party area for one night only, we installed a malleable room installation constructed from 6000m of white bandage, creating pockets of changing atmosphere from one side of the room to the other. By spotlighting some parts of these bandages, we structured the canteen and offered the guests different light areas.