click to shop It was always the details to go along with the fabulous clothes, to make the outfit a hit.
Monique Leshman, designer and owner of Mio Accessori, was born in Southfield Michigan. Monique is the second oldest of four daughters. Growing up with 4 women including my mother, I must say was a craze. With all of the clothes that we had in the household, it was never enough. My mother decided to open a boutique to keep herself busy, my father thought it would be a great idea not only to keep her busy, to keep his pockets more full. I remember in those years going with my mother Betty and my older sister Robin to the shows in New York to buy for our then boutique, Monique's, which was located in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I never had the interest in the attire that we would be purchasing, it was always the details to go along with the fabulous clothing to make the outfits a hit.
I remember parting from them in their deep purchases and running off to the accessory aisles. I would persuade my mother to buy earrings, necklaces, all the basics that a woman needed to put herself together. She had no idea that those purchases would add to the sales as much as they did. Of course, that was my beginning. I started to buy for our store, accessories of course.
At 21, after finishing light studies in fashion and being self-taught for retail from our boutique, the need to grow was a need. I decided to move to New York. I worked in several junior apparel showrooms for years and reached a point that wasn't fulfilling for me. I went back to retail which after a short while, I realized it wasn't at all where I wanted to be.
Months later-
I remember meeting a girlfriend for lunch and expressing how sad I was feeling - helpless and unsure of the direction I was going. It was that conversation Diane told me, Monique, you love accessories! Why don't you do what you love? I had no idea that those few words would change my entire life. I went home and started making jewelry. I bought beads galore and started making necklaces that would begin my career...
Living in Soho, downtown Manhattan artists and designers like myself would line the streets on the weekends. I took a tiny table and decided to exhibit my small collection of necklaces and bracelets. That day, I sold and made more than my last job payed in a week. I was thrilled. I did that for a while and saved enough money and extended my collection. I started getting several repeat customers as well as buyers purchasing my designs off the streets. It was an amazing feeling and of course the best part of it was it supported me on my own time. I was my own boss and did as I wanted. After saving enough money, I decided to submit my samples to an accessory show in New York and was accepted. That is when Epoca Accessories was born. Epoca is latin for a special moment in time. I wanted a special name to represent my designs and viewed my creative wears as unique in design and it was a very special time in my life.
5 years later, Epoca lives on and Mio is born.
