bridal
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“There’s nothing like Berta’s dresses,” says
Renata Kukielka, the buyer for L’Fay Bridal
in New York City. “She has brought some-
thing unique to this market, classic and sexy
designs. Brides try her dresses on and most
are in disbelief; they feel so gorgeous they
don’t want to take them off.”
Balilti’s success may have seemed
unimaginable just a generation ago. Born in
Cairo, Egypt, she emigrated at age 3 with her
parents to Israel just prior to 1967’s Six-Day
War, which had devastating consequences
for Egyptian Jews.
Once Balilti’s family settled in Israel, her
father, after suffering an injury while work-
ing on a boat, could no longer work. Every
hardship and triumph her parents experi-
enced later played a role in their daughter’s
success.
Growing up in the Holy Land offered
Balilti a far different childhood than that of
her parents. She found her flair for fashion
and dreamed of designing the ultimate dress
for a woman’s most important day.
After graduating from Ramat Gan’s
Shenkar College of Engineering and Design,
she worked by day as a seamstress, and later,
as a junior designer at a ready-to-wear com-
pany in Tel Aviv. At night, she sketched and
sewed wedding gowns at home, determined
to make her dream come true.
In 1995, she opened her first bridal salon,
La Belle, a small shop where she was the sole
designer and had a staff of about 25 people
working for her. From the beginning, her
business has been closely held, with family
members helping out. Her daughter is one of
her models.
Less than a decade later, in 2004, Balilti
expanded — moving her operation into a
larger space and turning her boutique into a
full-fledged fashion house, which took on the
name Berta Bridal.
“We had reached a point in which I felt
like the place became too small for my needs,
in terms of production and the level of ser-
vice I expect my team to grant my brides,”
Balilti says. “Then we decided to move to our
new place.”
By 2005, the company had 15 retailers,
and a year later more than 30 stores were
carrying the Israeli-made gowns. By 2012,
her son-in-law Nir Moscovich had taken the
company international, overseeing its global
operations.
On her journey to success were encourag-
ing parents who inspired her to never quit
pursuing her goals. Their example of perse-
vering even in the toughest circumstances set
a lasting foundation for her to build upon.
“My parents raised me to believe I can be
anything I want, so I just went ahead and
continued on page 40
38 January 28 • 2016
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