Cinzia Moniaci
Capturing the luxury of Italian style and mixing it with California's boho chic, designer Cinzia Moniaci created Moni Moni out of her own quest for the best. Born and raised in Italy, Cinzia pursued classical studies at the Universities of Turin and Paris and always had a passion for the arts.
Her propensity for fashion was apparent since the very early days, creating the prettiest accessories to spruce up the severe all girl Catholic School uniform (what's a girl to do!) but writing and drawing became the creative outlets of choice at the time.
She started out as a journalist during college and to help support her coveted studies abroad she worked at famous Parisian fashion boutiques using her language skills - she speaks four fluently - to get the jobs.
She met her future husband during a business convention she attended with her father in the US and the two became close as they shared a strong common passion, music.
She got married a year after graduation and moved to Los Angeles where she corresponded and freelanced for several European and US magazines including GQ and In Style and had a chance to interview many celebrities in the world of music, film and fashion.
Together with her husband, an accomplished guitar player who had a band in high school with classmates Stephen Perkins and Dave Navarro (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction); she wrote a catalogue of songs in different languages.
Their band Bionica played venues like the Viper Room, the Opium Den and The Key Club and Cinzia's songs were featured on movies and TV series such as Dawson's Creek and The Education of Max Bickford.
Having to balance two different roles, journalist by day and songwriter and performer by night, proved challenging in the fashion department, never finding the right bag to wear at her interviews and to bring on gigs was a drag and became the inspiration to design her first handbag. The Free Spirit was a bag that could easily translate from city fun practical to club glam. A bit retro, and a bit vintage-y, her signature style had begun, her friends were fans and she found a new passion.
Designing quickly became second nature, in 2002 she won a scholarship funded by the Italian Government at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise) and opened a showroom with a friend in the Fashion District's California Mart importing high end European designer accessories, she sold to companies like TJ Maxx, Bluefly, Bernini etc. and learnt the ropes of the fashion business.
Moni Moni was born soon after and a minute later so was her baby daughter. Using her high school nickname, her design fervor and her developed connections to amazing Italian factories, she whipped up her first collection. As a tribute to her musical roots she designed the Punk Rocker bag, a studded crinkled leather charmer that together with her Free Spirit was immediately featured in Lucky magazine, prompting a surge of sales on her website www.monimonigirl.com
Moni Moni has since found its niche as a brand that embodies effortless style and uses all the avant-garde techniques to render the leathers as supple and "lived" as humanly possible. Cinzia and her team continuously explore ways to achieve the ultimate understated vintage look. The latest collections feature the perfecting of the Tinto in Capo look, where the handbags are washed and tinted after they are sewn to make them ultra soft and beautifully unstructured.
Moni Moni handbags are handmade exclusively in Italy and sold all over the world. A favorite of celebs and editors and instantly recognizable Moni Moni handbags capture the essence of today's elite woman, feminine yet strong, sophisticated yet casual, luxurious yet practical.
How can you tell a
Moni Moni Girl?
One moment she is turning heads along the Via Montenapoleone in Milan and the next she's stopping traffic along The Strand in Manhattan Beach, her fashion sense is the perfect blend of European sophistication and Southern California's casual glam!
