Manya & Roumen

Manya & Roumen's pieces are homages to the animal kingdom. They slither, flutter, and perch on the wearer as totems of the strength, resilience, courage, perseverance, and wisdom accumulated by animals over the millions of years that they have roamed this earth.

When designing a piece, Manya researches the animal's bone structure, movement, and social behavior. After drawing a rough sketch, Manya carves the animal from a block of wax, allowing the wax's malleable and forgiving nature to influence the outcome.

Manya has been enchanted with animals since she was little, drawn to their sincerity and pure spirit. As she grew up, her creative curiosity led her to Japan, Canada, Mexico, South America, Italy, and finally New York--where Manya received her MFA. Roumen grew up in a small agricultural town in Bulgaria; His dream was to move to New York City and start his own business.