A new perspective instead of compromises: showing the beauty of the unrepeatable, ever-changing character. By products that stay your journey mates for a long time but do not cause damage to the Earth at the end of their journey. Two things are essential for reaching this. One is the critical creative approach that applies to design, manufacturing, the quality of raw materials, their origins, and constant improvement. The other is continuous experimentation, research for methods that are sustainable not only in the present but also for the future. The production happens in the spirit of slow design at the same time personality and connection with you has a great emphasis also. The stories. Which also weaves the common history of the objects and the studio.
I'm grateful you're here! Let me tell you a little bit about what you can discover here.
MANERA products are made from natural plantbased materials - sometimes supplemented with recycled materials - replacing standard plastic fixtures with unique, digitally designed and handcrafted, high-strength plywood parts.
The main cornerstone of the brand is that, in addition to the natural environment, we strive for harmony with those who live in it. Our need for objects should have a place after the respect and love of living things. Production takes place locally with low energy consumption with ethical labor practices , mostly from domestic, sometimes european raw materials. Each of the products available for purchase here has some kind of experimental elementthat intends to go a little further than usual in the range of sensitivity, naturalness and functionality. The mission of MANERA - STUDIO - is to spread the point of view that it is possible to shape our consumption culture in a way that, along with living it more deeply, we do no harm to anyone.
- the textiles: 100% plant-based natural, canvas with high load capacity, sometimes the lining is made of waterproof, left-over materials. A large percentage of them are locally produced, some of them come from European countries. Those are exclusively GOTS certified materials.
- the dyeing: the colors are given by plant dyeing uniquely to a limited number of products. It’s a handmade process.
- plywood parts: the nodes are all uniquely designed in the studio, prefabricated with CNC milling - then hand-polished and surface-treated - of waterproof plywood with low waste.
- the surface treatment is 100% with vegetable or mineral based oils or with AURO environmentally friendly paints..
- production has a special focus on ethical labor practices and low energy consumption, the products are made by hand, many of them are designer pieces.
- the packaging is strictly plastic-free, based on 100% recycled paper.
The goal of MANERA - studio - is to create a safe medium for those looking critically for sustainable products, carry out the detailed research and selection process for them that ensures high-quality solutions and materials within exact set of parameters.
In parallel with small-scale production, the studio also works as a laboratory where the main focus is on experimentation with alternative raw materials produced from microorganisms. The studio’s focus is on the educational activity related to the topic besides integrating the newly explored methods into small-scale production.
‘Manera’ can be translated as ‘mode’ in Spanish, and the Brazilian Portuguese in Rio uses ‘maneiro’ to express one's liking about something. This, in addition to encouraging a change of attitude, evolved from the personal attachment of the designer to the name of the brand.
I am Alexandra Kis-Baraksó, explorer, the maker behind Manera. Dreamer and implementer. Idealist. My journey to the brand’s foundation with the industrial design engineering degree. Of course, only after my unofficial, full childhood. As the first usable object came out of my hands, there was no stop. Towards finishing the bachelor’s degree, I felt that the experimental, untapped areas were the most exciting for me, also in a radical, critical approach to environmental and social responsibility. After a master’s degree in interior architecture and a nearly one-year detour as an interior architect, I also started teaching at the university from 2018, complementing my creative work as a refreshing outlook. Founding the brand provides a framework for everything I believe in as a designer - and as a person - and in doing so I try to help some to the great whole. I'm glad if you join me.
English (UK) 
Magyar