Manuela Catania is an Italian Designer, based in Mumbai, India.

She defines herself a Sensory Designer and Artist, blending her passion for design, art and jewellery and working as Educator since 2011.

In 2023 she launched a new idea of brand called Olfelita creating in a"Sensory Realm" with seasonal collections from fashion, product, textile and jewellery. 

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"I design what I visualise in my dreams and what belongs to my soul and I 've always been in love with the world of art and jewellery, since my father was an Italian goldsmith-gemologist and he passed on to me the art of making by hand, the balance of colour in precious stones and the elegance of the shape of gold and silver" 

 

She holds a Master's Degree in Architecture, achieved with honors at the University of Architecture in Palermo. In 2008 she moved to Milan for a Master in Jewellery and Accessories Design in Domus Academy, and in 2009 she obtained a Master of Arts at University of Wales. She explored the design world and she specialised in Fashion Design at IED Moda Lab in Milan and in Fashion System at European Design Institute in Venice. In the meanwhile she has developed her first collection of jewels made by Murano glass and showing it during the Milan Design Week. She created her personal jewellery collection in Venice.

 

In 2012 she lived in Brazil, São Paulo, where she has explored the design of this fascinating country. Her most relevant working experience as lecturer has been at Esmod University in Kuala Lumpur, where she was teaching Fashion Design.

She has developed a sustainable design project called visionupia, bringing in several countries her experience and creativity and in 2017 she was coordinating a Sustainable Fashion Design project in Bali with kids of the Children's House La Rosin, the project is called The Shapes of Dreams. In the same year she was the coordinator of the International Workshop "Hong Kong | Palermo Fluid Cities" between Raffles Design Institute Hong Kong and the Polytechnic School of Palermo. The International Workshop was based on a new methodology of Urban Design developed online between students in Hong Kong and in Palermo. She has been Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing Programme Coordinator at Raffles Design Institute Hong Kong teaching Interior Design, Fashion Marketing and Fashion Design; and Introduction to Interior Design at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Division of Humanities. In 2020 she was teaching online the final year project of Interior Design - University of Derby Module Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Interior Design with Raffles Design Institute Guangzhou. She was coordinating and teaching online the Sustainable Fashion Design Workshop in collaboration with Art Program HKUST+Vibes - The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.  In 2020 and 2021 she was Visiting Academy at the University of Saint Joseph - USJ Creative Industry Macao, teaching Interior Design Studio focusing on Sensory Hospitality Design. In 2021 and 2022 she was Jewellery Design Lecturer at AVA Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, teaching also Sustainable Design Thinking and Wearables Design and she was coordinating the Sustainable Design Workshop "The Art of Plastic" in collaboration with Art Program HKUST+Vibes at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

In 2021 she was the Curator of the Sensory Textile Art Installation, Hong Kong Pavilion at The Biennial Countless Cities 2021 "People Live Here - A More Human Approach", Farm Cultural Park, Favara, Italy.

Currently she is Unit Leader Interior Design and Product Design at Istituto Marangoni Mumbai, India.

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