Cinna

Cinna helped fashion Katniss into the famous “Girl on Fire” as well as the “Mockingjay.” However, his costume designs caused a huge stir in the Capitol, and he was ultimately executed for committing treason against the government.

Cinna Character Profile

• Name: Cinna
• Age: Early 30s
• Gender: Male
• Place of origin: The Capitol
• Physical appearance: Has dark skin with green eyes and short brown hair—sports signature gold eyeliner.
• Skills: Fashion design
• Strengths: Empathetic personality, ability to channel his emotions through his work
• Weaknesses: Physically weak
• Loyalties: Rebel

Personality and Background

Unlike the rest of the Capitol of Panem, Cinna was kind and empathetic to the people of the districts. He understood their suffering and was compassionate toward them. This is why he was a part of the rebel network, as he wished to alleviate their suffering and set right the many wrongs of the Capitol.

Not much is known about Cinna’s background other than the fact that the 74th Hunger Games was his first year working as a stylist. Since it was his debut year, Katniss assumes that Cinna was assigned to style the District 12 tributes. However, she later learns that Cinna had asked to be assigned to District 12 himself. Cinna plays a major role in modeling Katniss as the “Girl on Fire” during the 74th Hunger Games and as the “Mockingjay” during the 75th Hunger Games. It is later revealed that he was also a part of the rebel network that started the Second Rebellion to overthrow the Capitol.

The 74th Hunger Games

Each of Cinna’s designs serves a specific purpose, and this is best seen in the costumes he creates for Katniss and Peeta during the 74th and 75th Hunger Games. His designs were highly pragmatic and functional but also graceful at the same time. Cinna also incorporates technology to bring the designs to life.

For the Tribute Parade, Cinna creates matching costumes for the duo, dressing them in jet-black unitards, fiery capes, and headpieces to represent the main industry of District 12: coal. During the parade, Cinna encourages Katniss and Peeta to show solidarity between themselves by holding hands with each other. The costumes designed during the parade helped Katniss and Peeta stand out from the rest of the tributes (as the capes and headpieces lit up with artificial flames), giving them an edge during the Games.

During the pre-Games interview with Caesar Flickerman, Cinna designs a bejeweled dress for Katniss that lit up when she twirled on stage. This helped Katniss earn the moniker “Girl on Fire”. He also helps to calm Katniss down during the interview, advising her to remain on stage.

Right before being launched into the arena, Cinna dresses Katniss in the standard suit that was designed for all the tributes, telling her that if he was allowed to bet on any of the tributes, he would bet on her.

Once Katniss and Peeta emerge as victors of the 74th Games, Cinna helps style them for their interview with Caesar Flickerman again. His costume for Katniss is a lot simpler than it had ever been before. It fell to her knees, was sleeveless, and contained padding to cover up the weight that Katniss had lost during the Games. As always, Cinna’s design served a particular purpose. The innocent yellow dress (which was reminiscent of soft candlelight) helped alleviate some of the heat that was on Katniss after her trick with the berries.

The 75th Hunger Games (Third Quarter Quell)

As Katniss Everdeen’s stylist, Cinna helps Katniss set up her post-Games “talent” to be a fashion design. He discusses all of his new designs with Katniss on the phone, which Katniss then passes off as her own designs.

Cinna also artfully creates all of Katniss and Peeta’s costumes during the Victory Tour, which was designed with not only the weather of the locales in mind but also the audience.

Cinna also designs several wedding dresses for Katniss – 24 of them, to be precise. However, he narrows the dresses down to 6 for the modeling shoot, out of which the white silk gown with pearls and hanging sleeves was voted by Capitol residents to be worn by Katniss at the wedding.

During the Tribute Parade, Cinna dresses Katniss and Peeta up in matching black jumpsuits once again, with metal crowns. However, this time, it is the whole outfit that burns like the embers of coal.

Despite the immense success of these costumes, Cinna is forbidden from creating an original for Katniss during the pre-Games interview of the Third Quarter Quell. Instead, he is asked to dress Katniss up in her chosen wedding dress.

Cinna does as he is told, for the most part. Unbeknownst to anyone else, he adds a slight twist to the dress. Before the interview, Cinna asks Katniss to twirl around like before. Katniss does as she is told, and the audience is amazed to see her costume burst into fake flames and transform into the plumage of the Mockingjay bird. Cinna receives a standing ovation for his magnificent creation. However, Katniss realizes that this act (with heavy symbolism of the Mockingjay) has infuriated President Snow.

Later, Cinna dresses Katniss in her standard tribute suit once again before she steps into the tube to be launched into the arena. This is when three peacekeepers make an appearance and begin to beat the stylist with spiked gloves, knocking him to the ground. Trapped within the glass tube, Katniss is forced to watch helplessly as Cinna gets dragged out of the room. She later learns that Cinna was killed during an interrogation by the Capitol.

The Second Rebellion: Cinna’s Legacy

Despite being killed before the start of the Second Rebellion, Cinna plays a significant role in crafting an image for Katniss as the “Mockingjay.” As a supporter of the rebels, he leaves behind a book of his original designs with Plutarch Heavensbee. The book contains several costume ideas for Katniss as well as a message for her – “I’m still betting on you.” Cinna writes this message below a sketch he makes of the Mockingjay pin. However, Katniss is not given this book until she decides to be the Mockingjay on her own, as Cinna did not want to sway her decision by any means. After receiving the book, the knowledge that Cinna was also a rebel helped reinforce within Katniss that she made the right decision to become the Mockingjay.

Cinna also assists in rescuing Katniss’ prep team for the rebel movement, which helps to style her in the Mockingjay suits that Cinna designed for her. Upon trying on the suits, Katniss realizes that Cinna’s designs were not only beautiful but also highly functional. For instance, Cinna built-in several layers of armor into the suit pockets to store weapons and even a hiding place for nightlock pills in Katniss’ suit, something which Katniss appreciated during the Battle of the Capitol.

FAQs