Monika Francikova was born and raised in the Czech Republic where, as a girl, the strict structure of living under communist rule encouraged her imagination to flourish. In her young mind, there were no boundaries, no rules, no strict guidelines, or restrictions; there was only a space for her creative visions to run wild and where she felt free to discover new possibilities.

Design and fashion run in Monika’s blood having family members working in various facets of the industry, including tailoring, shoemaking, cross-stitching, and retail merchandising. She can still remember vividly watching her mother designing and making her childhood clothing. The crafty design gene never skipped a generation, and with encouragement from her mom who “had no example or even a thought of what a fashion designer was,” she pursued her passion and enrolled in SOUO College to become a certified woman’s tailor.

Monika travelled to Ontario in the Fall of 1996 and later enrolled in the International Academy of Design and Technology’s Fashion Design program in Toronto, graduating in 2006. Monika soon after launched her clothing line MONIKOVA in 2007.