MANUELA'S FASHION INSIGHTS
I met Manuela — guess how? Exactly, at work.
If you’ve been reading my fashion insights, you’ll know that most of the people I’ve met since moving to Barcelona have come into my life through work.
Manuela and I crossed paths at Brandy Melville, working together at the store. I remember the first time I saw her — she’s one of those people who just radiates positive energy and uniqueness. That’s one of the things I admire most about her: she doesn’t try to fit in; she’s simply authentic and loyal to herself.
When we met, Manuela was still studying linguistics. She’s originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was living in Barcelona while finishing her degree. She’s a very extroverted person, super easy to talk to, clear-minded, trustworthy, and transparent.
Passionate about art, photography, culture, literature, and people, she’s one of those humanistic souls living life with the purpose of spreading happiness.
Manuela and I stopped working together for natural reasons — she left Brandy and started doing her own thing — but we stayed in each other’s lives like most 21st-century friendships: through social media. I knew she went back to Rio and started her professional life there after graduating. We reconnected thanks to a sweet gesture of hers — she thought of me when she landed her new job at Farm Rio, where she now works in the branding department.
Now, about her fashion essence and personal projects:
From the way I’ve described Manuela, you can probably imagine her fashion sense is anything but ordinary. She’s incredibly colorful and unafraid to mix bold, dramatic colors together.
Her style leans into a touch of sexiness — showing just the right amount of skin — and always has that Carrie Bradshaw, main-character energy.
Manuela has always been drawn to both fashion and language — she studied linguistics, but her wardrobe feels like a second degree. Getting dressed is a kind of ritual for her. She genuinely loves every piece she owns, and even on rushed days, there’s intention — her go-to is all white. It's calm, clean, and deeply tied to her Brazilian roots, where white gives her a sense of calmness and new beginnings.
After moving back to Rio, she started working at Farm Rio in branding — a job that found her, actually, through Instagram. Her posts — visuals layered with her own poetic phrases — caught the eye of her now-boss.
Outside of work, she’s always creating. Her latest side project was handcrafting book markers inspired by museum postcards — tiny, tactile extensions of her love for words and aesthetics. “They complement the intimate act of reading,” she mentioned. She’s also reviving her personal site, carving out a space that’s all hers — off social media, more intentional.
She dreams of becoming a fashion editor one day. But for now, she’s taking it step by step — staying true to her rhythm, her vision, and her voice.
