Berit Gilma in her 5th element and at the Grammy's 2023

Berit Gilma, a native of Graz, began her years of travelling and studying at the age of 21 (first in Berlin, then in L.A.). She worked for the Chinese star artist Aiweiwei, later for music legend Danny Elfman and built up the art department of the ELEVATE Festival, of which she is still the curator today.

At 33, Gilma is definitely where others land career-wise decades later: On the Grammy's Red Carpet. And it was exactly there that "the world" took notice of her in a really big format.

But how did it come about?

Berit Gilma, who sat at the creative helm for three years as creative or art director, designed the box set for Danny Elfman, who became an icon in the USA through his voice of Jack Skellington for the Tim Burton classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), has been very successful in the realms of Hollywood - especially the musical ones - for decades. But not only that. It was only after the end of the Corona pandemic that he played in front of the sold-out Hollywood Bowl (40,000 people) and wowed.

Let's switch to Berit Gilma, who is also not entirely uninvolved in the musician's recent success here, because in recent years she not only took over the art direction, but built a brand around Elfman, which was crowned by a box set of his last album "Big Mess", which finally earned Gilma a Grammy nomination for "Best Art Direction". With a sculpture of his own, four vinyls, a sculpture as well as.

Please explain how the collaboration with Danny Elfman came about?

Berit Gilma: "First of all, he's my boss. And he's a cult figure here in LA. He has been in the film industry for decades and often works on different films at the same time. But he hasn't written his own music for a long time. Only now, after 37 years, did it happen again. I got to know Danny during my Masters at UCLA. Danny is a real character. He has a huge warehouse here where he collects quirky and unusual things. That's what we connected about. When Corona came, we could only meet digitally, but Danny also started writing music again at that time and sent me his music. I gave him feedback on my thoughts and sent him music that I liked. And it ended up that by the end of the summer we had a music label. I became its creative director. But that's when it really started. Because the label said we had to produce music videos. No sooner said than done. Soon I produced a total of 13 music videos, starred in and co-directed two of them. In them we worked with CGI and 3D prints. I co-curated the graphics on the remix record with Iggy Pop or Blixa Bargeld. There was also a sculpture in this box set."

How do you build the brand for a person who has been so present in the music market for years?

Berit Gilma: "I had a vision for Danny and inspired him to create contemporary art. For that I also started the merchandise department, etc. So I was practically a one-woman art department then [laughs]. It was crazy! I started in L.A. completely crosswise and worked like a madwoman for three years, I was also studying at the same time. And then I was nominated for the box set that I designed for Danny. At first I couldn't believe it. It was only when the label sent me the screenshot of the nominations from the New York Times."

You were the favourite in your category but then didn't win. What was that moment like for you?

Berit Gilma: "Everyone told me that I would win. I was sceptical at first, but then I thought to myself, 'OK, I have a shot here, this could be something. The category has been around since 1994 and since then only one woman has won, women are rarely nominated at all. That means I would have been only the second woman winner of this category. I really wanted to have that feminist moment for 'More Women in the music industry, please', because to this day the DNA of the music industry prevents a lot of things. When I didn't win, I was really disappointed, because the story of Danny Elfman entrusting his vision to a young woman and building it with new technologies is something unique in that way."

Please tell us, how you created your "internet-breaking" look for the Grammy's Red Carpet!

Berit Gilma: "Actually at the last minute. It was a week before the Grammy's, my stylist flew to Paris and I still didn't have an outfit. I just knew I was going to wear my hair orange and sleek and bleach my eyebrows. That alone gave me the look of an alien. And then I looked at my mood board again. There I pinned Leeloo [played by Milla Jovovich, note] from 'The 5th Element'. On the one hand, I find the orange and white in this outfit cool, on the other, I like clear lines and this certain brutalism look. I always loved the fashion moment in the film. The avant-garde, futuristic look that Jean-Paul Gaultier brought to the film.

However, the Leeloo outfit was not copied, but rather a very own one was created ...

Berit Gilma: "Yes, because the other big reference was glam rock and it was my idea of a jumpsuit and to combine it with the 'strappy look' of the 5th element. Also, one of my biggest idol, David Bowie, should be quoted as well. So I did a sketch and my stylist got me in touch with a tailor. We decided on a bone-coloured faux leather and that's how the costume came together step by step. At the fitting, I didn't want the underboob because I didn't want to be too sexy, but my stylist and the seamstress convinced me. We still created cuffs with it and combined the platform shoes."

How was it then on the Grammy Carpet?

Berit Gilma: "At the Red Carpet I noticed that people were already reacting very well during the interviews. My companion, Alligator, was also similarly dressed. Of course, that attracts attention. DojaCat was three people in front of me and then it was my turn. 50 photographers call your name for a minute - that's the whole spectacle. After the awards, friends sent me links on the way home, telling me where I had been featured. And it went on like that for the next few days! I was in ABC Australia, Cosmopolitan, ranked in the '10 Best Dressed' by the L.A. Times, Highsnobiety had me in the top 3 ... "