Classic, beautiful and refined, Moda Endrizzi is a brand of luxury goods that brings a modern approach to its deceptively simple designs. The brand is rooted in tradition and embraces the art of Italian craftsmanship, quality and detail. Here, Moda Endrizzi founder Samuel Koza discusses the history of the brand, offers some tips for investing in luxury handbags and more.
Photography provided by Moda Endrizzi
What inspired you to launch Moda Endrizzi?
My mother’s family and our love of fashion. The brand was founded by myself, my wife, Jessica Mae, and Nancy Stoltz. I had built some relationships in Florence, Italy, and was thinking about concepting a clothing brand. Jessica and I met around this period and were drenched in the Minneapolis fashion scene. She is a makeup artist, and we founded WarPaint International Beauty Agency together. While building that company, our fashion endeavors remained a dream. Then the pandemic hit and pushed us to put our creative hats back on and build something new. When generating an inspiration list of potential brand names, the idea of continuing the Endrizzi family name felt special to me. And Moda Endrizzi was born.
How would you describe your personal style?
Elegant and classic. I love jazz music, like my coffee black and would never mix good whiskey with any type of mixer. The handbag designs are created with these sentiments in mind. This is not to say we won’t design something avant-garde or do a limited run of something trend-forward, but you can carry an Endrizzi bag any day of the year.
Why did you pick Florence to produce Moda Endrizzi’s products?
There are few cultural epicenters when it comes to leather manufacturing and luxury goods design. Florence is one of them. Though handbags are manufactured all over the world, there is an Old World standard that exists when it comes to Italian leather and design. Our handbags are all made by hand. The leather is vegetable-tanned and of very high quality. The hard-working people that stitch our bags are also stitching for larger luxury brands that you may know or even own. And since I have family history in northern Italy, it made sense that our products will always be built in this region.
Do you have a current favorite Moda Endrizzi design?
The Jessica Mae Tote Bag is our bestseller. It features a power red interior that speaks the love language of many women in business. Our newest handbag, the Vivace Crossbody Bag, is my current favorite. Vivace means “vibrant” in Italian and is a hybrid design that wears super comfortably with security features in mind.
Do you have any advice for those looking to invest in a luxury handbag?
Decide what your intent in purchasing a luxury product is: name recognition, marketing or quality design. For collectors, the answer is all of the above. Perhaps you’re looking to add something new to your wardrobe options. We’ve decided to endure some higher production costs to achieve the level of quality that we’d like to have in our personal handbag collections.
What’s next for the brand?
Nancy is working on some ideas to showcase the brand through home handbag parties. It’s something that we think is personal and makes viewing our product fun with a group of friends. We hope to be found in more boutiques across Minnesota soon. We’ve already placed a few of our bags in some top shops that have done well. We’d also love to design something exclusive for a larger retail clothing store. In the meantime, Moda Endrizzi has been chosen to be placed in a theatrical release movie that is filming this year. Watch for more news toward the end of the year.
