Sofia Bertolli Balestra, a trailblazing fashion designer and artistic director, will discuss Italian fashion and creativity at 11 a.m. today, Wednesday, Nov. 15, as part of the U of A's Rome Center Speaker Series hosted by the Graduate School and International Education.

The talk will be held in the Rome Center's historic campus located in Palazzo Taverna in Rome. The event is also available to the U of A Fayetteville campus community members virtually via YouTube.

Balestra is the artistic director of the famous fashion brand Renato Balestra, where her innovative creations have graced runways worldwide and redefined the boundaries of fashion. As the representative of Balestra's third generation, she is helping rewrite a new chapter in the story of the maison founded over 60 years ago.

"We felt the need to open up to the public and get in touch with a larger audience and with consumers that are more interested and curious than ever," she said about updating the brand's heritage for the times.

Balestra's talk, which will focus on the magic of design, creativity and self-expression, is the final lecture of the semester in the Rome Center's Speaker Series. The series offered four talks throughout the semester from renowned international experts across a range of topics.