Star Mom Fave Accessory Designer Monica Botkier Is a Mother Herself

For mom-of-two Monica Botkier, fashion accessory designing was, well, an accident. “I used to be a fashion photographer and shooting tons of fantastic accessories so I started to be obsessed,” she tells.



After buying a couple of designer handbags, but feeling sad concerning the functionality and the purchase price, Botkier started designing her own purses. “I made my individual bag (the Trigger) in May 2004 and by September 2004 we were in Barneys,” she says.

Now, the native New Yorker’s bags and shoes are worn by some of Hollywood’s most famous mamas, including Angelina Jolie (below left carrying the Sasha medium duffle), Halle Berry (below right wearing the Marnie boots), Jessica Alba, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Heidi Klum.



And the popularity probably has a lot to do with the fact that Botkier doesn’t sacrifice fashion for function in her designs. “There’s no reason to compromise either one,” she says.
Botkier, who says she’s inspired by “busy, modern and fashion-forward” New York women, also gets ideas from her 6-year-old daughter.



“She loves shoes and bags. Every time she comes to my office she draws a new bag and waits to see the prototype,” Botkier says.

Courtesy Botkier.
That creativity has given her another idea: the possibility of a children’s line. “I’d love to,” she shares. “I have so many ideas about how to build a practical and fashionable wardrobe for kids that I’d relish the opportunity. One day.”



For now, she’s busy enough balancing her mushrooming line with motherhood. “It isn’t simple, but having a great team both in the office and at home assists a great deal,” she admits.



“You can find positively long weeks, however it’s a love for family and a love for Botkier. There’s no cause a lady can’t have all of it, the profession and family.”