JD Institute Bangalore Welcomes the International Designer Mariel Manuel at the Campus

Swiss artist and fashion designer, Ms. Mariel Manuel was bitten by the creative bug since the age of 13 which carved her foray into the world of fashion design. Alumni of the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp and Ecole des Arts Appliqués, Geneva; she worked with two of the biggest luxury fashion brands in Europe. Here she witnessed the wastage of surplus materials which were discarded as the brand did not believe in repurposing which would lead to repetition. This laid the foundation for her design ideology of maximizing the use of elements perceived as waste by giving them a new lease of life.

After 7 years of working for the luxury segment as a designer with brands like Balenciaga and Paco Rabanne, thereafter consulting for Alyx and Haider Ackermann Ms. Manuel formed her own brand Manuel Manufacturers which lets her express herself without heeding to archetypes of fashion norms. Unlike traditional methods of design process, Ms. Manuel concentrates on the material to experience its texture to understand the design direction before giving life to her concept. Her inspiration is derived from the everyday, photographs, people, poetry, sketches, printouts and hand drawings which can take the form of abstract to concrete images.

Ms. Manuel’s work as an independent designer has led to design collaborations with Nike, Fleche Love, Worn Geneva and conducting of workshops at Apple. Her immersive sense of design has taken her to different parts of the world to explore various cultures, traditions, arts, techniques and people gazing. Over the years she has gathered materials that resonate with her design aesthetic for her projects from her travels which form a part of her extensive archives. These are then given life by hand-crafting them into wearable pieces of art.

The students of JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore are currently undertaking a workshop by Ms. Manuel at the Brigade Road campus

For more information, visit – www.jdinstitute.edu.in