Unique designs key to Clayton artisan’s jewelry, handbags
CLAYTON, CA—Lisa Ramos founded MONOLISA, a handmade bag and jewelry company, in her small home studio nestled in Clayton.
As a little girl, she had an appreciation for beautiful women’s accessories and dreamed of someday designing her own collection. Her continued interest in accessory design shifted from thinking to creating in 2013.
Her first goal was to learn how to sew on an industrial machine and create stylish patterns with a touch of elegance. The self-taught design to development skills took time but eventually came to life. Having an understanding of product production complexities, she steered away from the traditional path of sourcing factory production. Instead, Ramos learned how how to manage the production herself.
After 20 years working in the digital world, she decided to make a career change to focus full time on building her company. In 2017, MONOLISA launched with meticulously handcrafted premium leather handbags, bag accessories and sculpted jewelry designed with Swarovski elements.
Ramos manages the production to sales process – designing each product pattern, sourcing all of the materials, hand making each piece, and selling online and at Bay Area events.
Unlike a lot of artisans focusing on one medium, she follows her passion with both leather and jewelry. Fascinated by the unlimited design possibilities, she continues to build her skill set.
Ramos never thought of herself as creative person. But to her surprise, creativity came later in life and collaborated nicely with her independent work style. Today, her focus is designing beautifully handmade limited edition pieces that add a touch of elegance to any personal style.
For more information, visit ProductsMadeInCalifornia.com