Renato BALESTRA (born 3 May 1924 in Trieste) is an Italian fashion designer. Born 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 send one of his sketches to the Italian Fashion Center (Centro Italiano della Moda, CMI): immediately noticed for his talent, he was invited to take part in a 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. 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. In 1958 he began presenting his collections across the United States, from Los Angeles to New York. In 1959, he 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. In 1962, Renato BALESTRA became a member of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) chose him to promote "Made in Italy" quality around the world. In January 1963, Renato 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.