My Story
My story
Cali girl at heart.
Gold Coast is now home.
I'm Kim. I design things I actually love, every shirt is made to order, and I surf when the waves show up. This is the whole story.
I've been making things for as long as I can remember. It started early: my first real art showing was in 5th grade, our class theme was the Statue of Liberty right around its centennial, and my teacher pulled me aside afterward to tell me to keep going. That one conversation set the direction. Through high school I spent most lunch breaks in the art studio, I studied design, I got my hands into silkscreening and letterpress and anything else I could. Design isn't something I do for work, it's how I live. From hand-letterpress printing our wedding invitations to every detail of our home. Making things has never felt like a discipline I had to learn. It's just how I think.
MoxiCali started life as Moxie and Sundries, a little Etsy shop I launched while we were living in San Francisco. The name felt right at the time: eclectic, a little wandering, not easy to pin down. As the brand grew and we moved to San Diego, the Cali side of things started pulling harder. The nature, the colour, the warmth and the weird and the openness of it all. That energy had always been in me. I just hadn't named it yet.
Watching the sun go down, we played around with words until MoxiCali appeared. Yes, it's close to Mexicali. Would people get confused, we wondered? But our love for tacos, Baja, and how this part of world was inspiring me won out. What I love about it is the balance: Moxi is the outward energy, the drive to make things. Cali is the ease, the sandy feet, the feeling that everything's going to be okay as long as the sun is out.
My first time surfing was in Mexico, years before any of this. That first session, I caught one real wave and time stood still. It probably lasted three seconds, yet it felt like forever as I floated. That feeling never left. When we settled in San Diego I started surfing regularly, and the ocean humbled me fast. Surfing is genuinely hard, and the ocean doesn't care how keen you are. But I've never stopped loving it.
There's something about being in the water that I can't fully explain and stopped trying to. The beauty of your surroundings, the way a good session pulls you completely into the moment, nothing else exists. It's where a lot of my best ideas come from, and honestly where most of the designs are born. The ocean has a way of showing you exactly what matters.
After years of my Australian husband talking it up, I finally caved. Coolangatta is home now, and I have to say, he was right. We still miss the tacos terribly. We would genuinely love a Trader Joe's. But I wouldn’t trade my mornings in the water at Rainbow Bay or Greenmount for anything. I've watched whales breach, dolphins run the lineup, turtles drift past, the odd shark cruise underneath my board, it never gets old. The ocean gives you something different every single time.
Every shirt is printed once you order it by a trusted partner. I pick the garments, I approve the quality, and I don't chase fads or drop designs after a season. I want you to be wearing these designs for years, not weeks. The water, the light, the wildlife out here: it all shows up in the work. Lucas is my muse, my biggest supporter, and my surf partner. He deserves credit for the shorter brand name too.
One woman. A passion for design. A surfboard. And a deep love for the good stuff.
With love from Cooly,
Kim ❤️
P.S. I really do love hearing from you. Say hi, tell me where you caught your best wave, show me how you're wearing it. My inbox is always open.
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