Stefania Bandinu was born in Sardinia in 1980 and moved to Bologna to study Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, specialising in History of art at the University of Bologna. In 2009 she lived and work in France us a costumes and sets designer for a circus theatre company. During this experience she discovered a passion the embellishment of the human body and, upon her return to Italy, she decided to devote herself entirely to jewellery making.
Stefania Bandinu focuses her research on storytelling and narrates a particular tale in each collection. For example, the Janas project was born out of a strong bond with her homeland, a research project focused on weaving that has given rise to two collections of textile jewellery and two docufilms in which the designer is the protagonist (Janas – Storie di donne telai e tesori, Carta|Bianca, 2015 – Isole gemelle, dalla Sardegna a Okinawa sul filo della tessitura, Carta|Bianca 2019).
Stefania Bandinu works on lightness and memory using various materials such as silver, paper, fabrics and resins, wich are carefully balanced in the search for a stylistic equilibrium that is never predictable, in which classic forms meet experimentation.
In 2015 she won the Homi Makers Design Award. In 2016, she was among the winners of the Talents award at Tendence 2016, the International Trade Fair in Frankfurt. In 2017 she won the Incredibol prize for creative companies, organised by the Municipality of Bologna.
In 2019 she opens Mon île, an independent boutique in the centre of Bologna, where she displays her collections along with a selection of products made by other designers. The boutique also hosts exhibitions and cultural events, becoming a suggestive space for new ideas and creations.
Stefania Bandinu’s lines are suspended between unique pieces and ready-to-wear jewellery.
They have been exhibited at major international fairs, in museums such as the Maxxi in Rome and the Moma in San Francisco, and are currently available in several countries.
All the jewellery is designed and handmade by the designer herself in her atelier in Bologna.
