Bill Clinton was elected to a second term, the Taliban conquered Afghanistan...and, in a shady corner of downtown Los Angeles, the Otis School of Fashion and Design expelled one of their most promising students and it was the best thing that could've ever happened to Monique Moizel.

That single callous event freed Monique from the confines of academia and unleashed her upon the world of fashion. Her unsuspecting professors would never have guessed that the 'unmotivated, undisciplined' fashionista would need no more than three years to build a company grossing over $4 million annually - her face and product splashed across every magazine from Business Week to Cosmo.

1996 was a good year for Monique Moizel - she just didn't know it yet.

It can be said that inspiration comes in the oddest forms and at the moments just as strange. For Monique it came in the form of Jamiroquai and it came at a time when she couldn't have been feeling lower. Shocked by the realization that she may have to choose another career path, Monique spent days ensconced on her couch - mindlessly flipping through the channels when she happened to find herself watching MTV ...mesmerized by Jamiroquai's funky frontman and his outrageous headgear. The hats were whimsical and expressive - something that struck a chord for the young designer.

For the first time in weeks, Monique's mind cleared and the gears began to turn. What if she could design a line of her own handbags that could be uniquely fun and expressive? They could be reversible - each piece as distinctive as the person wearing it. Would people want what she created?

She got her answer when the first samples were eagerly snapped up by friends and relatives... and the waiting list started to grow. The fledgling operation quickly went beyond being a creative outlet - it had the makings of a successful business.Recognizing a potential goldmine, a friend's father would loan her $5000 - enough cash to start her first company, producing her distinctive handbags. She was off and running.

Within four years, the company was grossing $4 million. Things couldn't have been more rosey. But the young designer was overwhelmed. Design began to take a distant second to the business end of the operation. Like most little girls (and some little boys) who wish to grow up to be fashion designers, Monique had never thought in terms of the bland business side. Production deadlines and payroll began to encroach, and at the tender age of 25, here she was... on the verge of being an accountant.

Monique had long since paid off her initial loan - but desperately needed another partner. There was no shortage of suitors. When desperation finally won out, she felt she had no choice but to accept the help. This decision was to form the basis of one of the most important lessons she would ever learn. As Warren Buffet once said, 'In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.' For Monique, nothing could be truer.

Almost immediately, the beleaguered young designer was moved to the sidelines as the shrewd team of businessmen took her company by the horns ...with no regard for the creative vision that had gotten things off the ground.

Things got rocky, and at the end of 2001, after lengthy uphill battles with management, Monique left the company after intense creative differences.

Thankfully, the experience was transformational. Monique could now count herself as a battle-hardened member of the fashion community. She had lived to fight another day ...and would never again cede any control.

In the wake of the suit, Monique was still on her feet, but bloodied. She took over a year off to do some soul-searching. Was that emotional turmoil something she ever wanted to go through again? Everyone knows that the fashion business is not an easy one to navigate. Talented designers are a dime a dozen, but to be successful requires the tenacity of a punch-drunk boxer: Too stupid to fall down, too stubborn to stop slugging away.

After a year of reflection, Monique decided that the answer was 'yes' - she was a fighter. And, in January 2003, Monique formed Pretty Punk. After another year of hard work, Monique had turned Pretty Punk into a showcase for her clothing design. No longer satisfied with designing accessories, she had graduated into the mainstream of fashion.

Once again, success quickly followed.

Nearly a decade after the young, fashion school dropout began designing accessories on her living room floor, one could say that Monique has found herself back where she started. Full of inspiration - but most importantly, imbued with the wisdom that took ten hard-scrabble years to accumulate, Monique Moizel is a seasoned veteran whose potential is still yet to be reached.

Lifestyle Professionals, Lifestyle