How Esther Perbandt and Bill Kaulitz found each other

Just two days before this crazy year 2020 ended, Esther received a message from Bill Kaulitz of Tokio Hotel on Instagram, asking if she would like to collaborate and design an outfit for him for a new music video. Tokio Hotel was about to launch their new song "White Lies", which they created together with the Berlin based electronic music project VIZE.

Bill Kaulitz had heard so much about Esther from Heidi Klum and was dreaming about something all black, Esther's specialty.

Using new digital tools to create the perfect Bill Kaulitz look

Time was running, as the video was scheduled to be shot only two weeks later. With no time to get bored over New Year's Eve, Esther started designing right away. Bill Kaulitz was inspired by something larger than life, a superhero, strong and protective. In order to get everything organised in time, Esther had to disturb her freelance team of pattern maker and seamstress over their holidays. With new technologies giving the ability to digitally take measurements, Esther and her pattern maker were able to create an avatar of Bill Kaulitz as he was still in Los Angeles at the time. All fittings and changes to the design were made digitally. This made it possible to have a perfectly fitting outfit for Bill Kaulitz on the day of the shoot. Esther was invited to join the team at the shoot in Berlin in January 2021. 

After a successful shoot, Bill Kaulitz added:

"We wanted to make a video that was visually new and exciting. Baris Aladag (filmmaker) came up with the idea to make us fly and I was immediately hooked. We had the best stunt, light and visual effects team and created a very unique world for White Lies. For the perfect look, I asked Esther Perbandt to design my outfit and it turned into an action superhero moment that I love! We still have bruises from the harnesses and stunts, but it was worth it."

Credits – Photos by: Christoph Köstlin / Dennis Dirksen