La Manso
Within the confines of quarantine, many found themselves feeding their boredom by sculpting clay rings. TikTok and Instagram pioneered the DIY craft scene and inherently created a community of ring-bearing artisans. Sporting handmade, one-of-a-kind accessories became the souvenir of over a year spent in isolation and a hallmark of style. This sudden fascination surrounding gaudy jewels and bright statement rings brought Barcelona-based brand, La Manso to the forefront of the jewelry arena.
An ode to the bright colours that hallmarked the 90s, La Manso encapsulates the funkiness and personality that magnetizes jewelry lovers. “La Manso started as a call for nostalgia. Everybody in the 90s grew up immersed in bright colours. Playmobil and gogos were big parts of my childhood” says Adriana La Manso. By channelling these memories to unveil distinct and identifiable pieces, the accessories exude a personal touch of resonance that gratifies a collective of wearers.
Birthed through the adventure of scavenging unique, gaudy pieces, La Manso moulds recycled plastics and restores pre-loved materials to attest to her self-proclaimed title of “ Local Vintage Plastic Collector”. “I have always been interested in old stock materials. Since repurposing products is important to me, I have searched and worked with materials that I have collected over the years,” Adriana says. The peculiar, yet opulent nature of these pieces has even captivated the admiration of Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus and many more.
“Since I was a child I enjoyed creating costume jewelry with my grandmother. When I lived in the center of Barcelona, I found a warehouse full of vintage bases and I started to play around with various elements and nuggets. Essentially, that’s how La Manso was born, through searching and coming across what resonated with me and exploring new ideas.” When purchasing from La Manso, each ring is delivered on the finger of a natural latex glove; further pushing the ethos of reconstructing ordinary, everyday objects to exaggerate their function and fragment their intention. The salvation of everyday materials to reclaim meaning through decorative art is the epitome of recycled love.
After hosting the La Manso Museum in Paris, a multimedia space built to unify artists, students, and stylists, the pop-art adjacent accessories have taken over the social media sphere. The thematic romanticization paired with the lustful boldness of the accessories casually detangles a storyline of singularity. “I think you can see it when people make something of their own. By including elements of who you are, it makes the piece personal. For me, it's a way of expression and I attempt to represent my personality through my work. Everyone combines their personality into their art on a level that feels right and unique to them.” Fusing these creative elements not only personalizes the experience but excavates a sense of individualism and greater connectivity.
words CAELAN MCMICHAEL
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