How one late-night order turned my first prototype into the foundation of Zendira.
It was nearly midnight in May 2022, the eve of the NRA Annual Meeting, and I was exhausted. Zendira had been a year in the making, and the Monday bag, our very first design, was finally about to launch. I turned the “buy” button on twenty minutes early, not because of strategy but because I was tired and wanted to sleep before the chaos of the show the next day.
Before the clock even struck twelve, my phone buzzed. An order had come in. A woman named Brittany in Florida had bought the very first Monday. I remember rolling over, staring at the confirmation in disbelief. Up until then, Zendira was prototypes and hopes, samples and setbacks. But Brittany’s order was a turning point. In that moment, it became real.
Three years later, the Monday remains the foundation of Zendira. It is more than a handbag. It is the story of why we exist.
The Problem That Started It All
The Monday came out of conversations that revealed what women were up against. One in particular stayed with me. In early 2021, a realtor in Austin told me she was nervous about showing houses alone. She needed to project success to her clients, so she carried a pistol in her Louis Vuitton tote.
That image stuck with me. A beautiful bag, but a dangerous setup. An open tote with a gun sliding around inside is a recipe for disaster. You would never be able to find it in time. It would not be oriented the right way. Something could hit the trigger. An accident waiting to happen.
I thought, women deserve better. They deserve something as elevated as the lives they built for themselves, but designed to work as beautifully as it looked.
My perspective was also shaped by my own past. In 2014 I became a government contractor for the State Department, and later worked with Homeland Security, the Army, and DOD. Moving through Washington, D.C. with a security clearance, traveling under Uncle Sam’s umbrella, I learned to see myself differently. A target in some ways. Protected in others. The heightened awareness stayed with me.
One memory is burned into me forever. After spin class at the YMCA in Alexandria, I was only a small parking lot away from the congressional softball fields. In the days that followed, I realized I had been walking past the shooter in the YMCA reception area five days a week for a month while he planned it out. For a month, I walked by that man. The nearness of it, the powerlessness I felt, stayed with me. That experience is why the Monday included something radical: an optional Level 3A body armor insert from DFNDR. Most people would not expect to find armor in a handbag. For me, it made perfect sense. It was one more chance to survive.
Prototyping a Vision
Designing a concealed carry bag is not easy. I wanted to start with a silhouette that already existed in the market, something classic, simple, elegant. I knew women liked it. My version would be functional in a way those others never were.
From the very beginning, I insisted on magnet openings for firearm access. Zippers were never considered. With the space of a tote, magnets allowed for a faster and smoother draw. Later designs, like the Friday, required tighter engineering because space was limited and firearms are never small. But with the Monday, I could work with more room.
The holster concept came directly from my government work. I had seen countless belt holsters, full kydex, outside the waistband, clipped for reliability. The Monday’s design mirrored that positioning. Where the bag sits on your body is the same place as appendix carry. The muscle memory would translate. Women could learn quickly.
The first prototype was, in my eyes, a disaster. It arrived squished, with handles imprinted on the leather. After waiting so long, after navigating suppliers, answering hundreds of tiny questions, and pushing every detail forward, I wanted a bag that I could proudly photograph. Instead, I had something I could not even share. It was crushing.
But it also taught me a lesson I now live by: never expect a sample to arrive exactly the way you envisioned it. That was the first of many hard-earned lessons.
Setting the Standard
What the Monday did was set a standard that had been missing. Concealed carry purses already existed, but most were afterthoughts. A small pocket with a zipper thrown onto a generic bag. Designs that projected, “good enough.”
Zendira’s approach was different. For us, if it did not work, it did not ship. I have bins of designs that failed. Things that were close but not quite good enough. Ideas I passed on even when others later produced similar versions. If it could not truly protect her, it was not worth doing.
From day one, we also carried a philosophy that has never changed: to carry the burden with her. Most women who decide to carry a firearm are not doing it lightly. Many come to that decision after trauma. They are already carrying the weight of that experience, along with the new skills, the gear, the training, the ammunition, the instruction. It is overwhelming. So Zendira’s role was to take at least one piece of that weight off her shoulders. To let her know the bag would work, and if it didn’t, we would stand with her until it did.
Brittany and the Fire
That is why Brittany’s order meant so much. She had never met me. She had no reason to trust a brand new company with a brand new product. Yet she took the risk. That leap of faith was fuel for the fire. To this day, I think of her as everything Zendira stands for.
I have not yet met her in person, but when I do, I know I will thank her for being the spark.
How Monday Evolved
The Monday today comes in Black Saffiano, Cream Saffiano, and a Black Nylon we call part of our Active Collection. Nylon gave women a lighter, sportier option. But no matter the material, the Monday has always been the queen of simplicity and elegance.
Lately, accessories have added new life to her. Scarves, charms, and interchangeable straps are all finding their place. In August I did a photoshoot in San Francisco where a scarf transformed the look of a Monday. We are now working on our own straps and bag charms.
And then there is Carly. To our community, she is the voice of Zendira, the steady hand and the warm heart that keeps our customers cared for and connected. She carries the power behind our promise to stand with women and she makes sure every interaction feels personal. As if that weren’t enough, she is also an artist. One day, after seeing someone tattoo a bag on TikTok, I asked if she knew any artists who could paint a bag. She told me she wanted to try. We sent her a batch of bags, more than she bargained for after a warehouse mistake doubled the shipment. But the results were stunning.
Carly’s hand-painted Mondays carry a 90s vibe, playful, colorful, unexpected. The big blue flower she painted became my favorite. In her hands, the clean lines of the Monday became a canvas. No one else could have done it quite that way.
The DNA of Zendira
Even as styles have shifted and accessories have grown, the Monday’s core has not changed. Cut-resistant straps. Magnetic access. Simple organization that works. It is the blueprint for every Zendira bag.
We tried a velcro panel instead of a tactical strip in later bags, but the Monday has always embodied what matters most: safety, speed, and simplicity.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
If I could tell my 2021 self anything, it would be this: you will be okay.
Back then, I knew how to execute a vision, but I was deeply uncomfortable with uncertainty. I had always worked for organizations with longevity behind them, so I could not see yet how a brand like Zendira would grow or what it would mean to people. I had big dreams, but also big fears.
The last three years have been a roller coaster. Highs that made me believe anything was possible. Lows that made me feel like I had hit bottom. But every time, I bounced. Believing in the vision and in myself, I learned to trust my own ability to lead, to build, and to keep going.
To that 2021 version of me, I would say: it will be amazing. But more importantly, you will be okay.
Mondays Are Always Beginnings
The Monday bag is now three years old. Countless women carry it, in black, cream, nylon, or Carly’s painted versions. And every one of those bags began with a late-night order from Brittany in Florida.
For me, Mondays have always been about beginnings. The start of the week. The first bag of Zendira. The launch of a journey that has been harder and more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Three years on, the Monday still carries that meaning. It is not just a bag. It is the beginning of something bigger.
-Julie
Monday Bag FAQs
Q1. What is the Monday bag?
The Monday is Zendira’s first handbag design, launched in March 2021. It combines elegance with discreet, functional safety features including cut-resistant straps, magnetic access, and compatibility with holster options.
Q2. Why was the Monday bag created?
The Monday was inspired by real women who needed a safer alternative to carrying in traditional handbags. It was designed to merge protection with luxury and to set a new standard for concealed carry bags.
Q3. How has the Monday evolved since launch?
Today the Monday comes in Black Saffiano, Cream Saffiano, and Black Nylon as part of the Active Collection. Hand-painted editions and styling accessories, like scarves and charms, add fresh personality while preserving its classic simplicity.
Q4. What makes the Monday different from other concealed carry bags?
Unlike generic designs with a zipper pocket, the Monday was engineered from the ground up for speed, safety, and durability. It features magnetic quick access, cut-resistant straps, and simple organization that works.
Q5. Why is the 3rd anniversary important?
This anniversary marks the moment Zendira moved from concept to reality. The Monday became the foundation for all future designs and continues to embody Zendira’s mission to let women carry beautifully.
