The Barcelona-based Patty Mañá shows with the brand @Nimph_ that it is possible to work with resources initially discarded to shape a contemporary, bold fashion with great visual strength. Her proposal stems from the will to build an alternative ecosystem, using surplus and recovered materials, and growing at its own pace, in dialogue with the city and with local and artisanal production.
Her language is ethereal, delicate but also rebellious and symbolic, and the collections unfold in annual chapters, often presented in a runway-performance format. Nimph is available in stores in Barcelona, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Mexico City and Taizhou.
In addition to designing your own brand, you are a professor at LCI Barcelona.
Yes, for three years. I am interested in the question of sustainability, it is a central topic in my classes and also in my brand, Nimph. The project is growing and is on the right track, I think, and I like to keep learning and improving.
Does your passion for fashion come from your family?
Well, unfortunately, no! My mother is an interior designer, which is a creative profession, but there is no one who has worked in fashion. As a child I remember wanting to be only two things: either a dancer or a designer, so I have always known that this was my path. I have always been passionate about playing with identity, I would come home from school and go straight to the costume suitcase, and I would spend the afternoon playing. I loved living in the world of imagination. That’s partly where the name of the brand, Nimph, comes from, referring to nymph, which allows me to connect with fantasy, transformation and imagination.
Are you a film lover?
Yes, very much! This winter I have gone to the cinema almost every week. I am especially interested in the documentary genre because it connects with people in a very direct and real way. I also like how you can sense the gaze of the author or director, there is often a very intimate dimension behind each project, even if it is not explicit. I also think it is a more autobiographical genre than it seems, and I am very inspired by its visual resources, especially when they work with archive material or when they manage to create very powerful pieces and results with few means.
Which garment would you save from a fire?
Wow, what a difficult question! If we are talking about personal clothing, probably a petticoat-type skirt from my great-grandmother, I would take it straight out of the wardrobe! And if I think about Nimph pieces, maybe the Dragana sweatshirt or the striped polo. They are pieces I feel very close to because they have a personal story behind them and represent the spirit of the brand very well.
Which film from this edition would you recommend?
So far I have only seen one, and it surprised me a lot, Akris: Fashion with a Heritage!
Thank you very much for this meeting, Patty.
Before finishing, I wanted to thank this session we have done with creators from here, and to highlight events like the festival, which celebrate culture and bring it closer to all kinds of audiences. They help us have a meeting point and make things happen that over time will be remembered, in addition to screening documentaries about moments and people who were important and that we can (re)discover.
