Early this year, I was searching for the perfect silk scarf. Something with a unique point of view. Artisanally made. Actual silk, not a polyester blend pretending to be luxury.
As I increasingly do, I narrowed my search to Canadian designers. That’s when I found Dora Nola: hand-drawn 100% silk twill scarves with an unmistakable perspective. I ordered a twilly and the Silk Neckerchief 50. They arrived and were even more beautiful in person. So I reached out to the artist behind the brand, Manuela, and said: “I found you, I love your work, and we need to collaborate.”
The silk scarves look incredible tied around your neck, wrapped around your wrist, or knotted onto one of our handbags. The kind of piece that quietly changes the whole outfit.
This June, I’m so excited to welcome Dora Nola to Poppy Barley with a curated collection of scarves available at PoppyBarley.com and in our stores.
Below read our interview with Manuela.
- Kendall Barber
Poppy Barley Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Dora Nola began as an alter ego, not just a brand. Who was Manuela before Dora Nola, and what did Dora give you permission to become?
Before Dora Nola, there was a lot of self-doubt that held back my creative expression. I put so much pressure on myself to create something successful, and I became so focused on the outcome that I had stopped creating altogether. I was afraid to fail.
Channelling Dora Nola allowed me to release that pressure and reconnect with creativity in a more instinctive, joyful way - creating simply for the sake of creating, regardless of the outcome. Once that weight was lifted, I was finally able to fully lean into my creativity, trust myself, and trust the process.
You’ve described Dora Nola as a reaction against sterile, beige spaces. What were you craving when you started making bold, colourful work?
I was tired of trying to fit in, or of making myself smaller in order to feel acceptable or palatable to others - something I think many of us are conditioned to do. There was a real desire, almost a need, to become louder and more unapologetically myself.
At the same time, I needed to trust that what I had to say, and what I wanted to create, was worthy and important. Those feelings naturally came through in the work as bold colours, expressive compositions, and a more fearless approach to creating without constantly self-editing or over-criticizing myself.
Your process starts by hand, then moves into digital collage and design. What changes when an idea goes from sketchbook to screen to silk?
Sketching is where I explore shapes, symbols, textures, and subject matter in a very instinctive and loose way. A lot of what I sketch never becomes a final piece directly, but it feeds the visual language that starts forming in my mind for a collection or design.
Once I move into the digital phase, that’s when everything begins to collide : the different elements, the composition, the colour palette. By that stage, I usually already have a strong vision of what the final piece should feel like.
Transferring the design onto silk is the final transformation. It allows the artwork to move beyond the screen and live as a meaningful object that becomes part of someone’s everyday life.
Why did silk scarves feel like the right first expression of Dora Nola?
When I first started embodying Dora Nola — my alter ego — I began wearing scarves constantly. My mother had given me a collection of vintage scarves, and I started styling them in my hair or tying them onto my handbags. They became a way for me to experiment more boldly with fashion and express more personality through what I wore.
The idea of creating my own scarf designs felt incredibly exciting to me: a way to merge my love of textiles, colour, and art into something both beautiful and functional. I also loved the idea that scarves could inspire people to embrace colour in an approachable, personal way.
Your scarves invite people to make pieces like their handbags feel more personal. What do you love about the idea of transforming something well-made into something unmistakably yours?
Just like a favourite piece of jewelry, a signature scent, or the perfect nail polish colour, I love the small details that make something feel uniquely yours. Tying a scarf in your hair, around your neck, or onto a beautifully crafted Poppy Barley bag transforms it from a simple object into a personal expression of identity and style.
I think those layers of personalization are what make fashion feel emotional and meaningful. They tell a story about who you are without having to say anything at all.
When someone wears Dora Nola, what part of themselves do you hope they feel brave enough to show?
I hope Dora Nola inspires people to be louder, take up space, and fully embrace what makes them unique. I believe we’re meant to live creatively and authentically, not hide the parts of ourselves that make us different.
If wearing one of my pieces helps someone feel more expressive, more confident, or more themselves, then that means everything to me.
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