Cinna

"I asked for District 12."

- Cinna, to Katniss

Cinna was Katniss Everdeen's stylist during her campaigns through the 74th and 75th Hunger Games. He came from the Capitol and he was not like the Prep team who, to Katniss, were like "a trio of oddly colored birds pecking around her feet." Cinna, as it seemed to Katniss, was more normal than she had expected. He was also a rebel from the start, which Katniss was unaware of.

Biography
Cinna was a new stylist, causing Katniss to initially think he was given District 12, since it was said that newer stylists get poorer districts, but instead asked for it for an unknown reason. Later, in the third book "Mockingjay" it was implied that Cinna had been working for District 13 and had risked his life being a stylist for Katniss so he could help overcome the Capitol.

The Hunger Games
The 74th Hunger Games announced Cinna's first year of being a stylist. Like most new stylists, Cinna was assigned to District 12, but not for the usual reason of District 12 being assigned to new Hunger Games staff as the "lesser" district, but because he asked to design District 12's outfits, for unknown reasons. After Katniss' prep team fixes her up well enough, Cinna enters the room, who surprises Katniss due to his normal look which is unusual for citizens of the Capitol. He shows up dressed in simple black clothes and a touch of golden eyeliner. This is why he seems normal to her. Cinna examines Katniss to find a way to dress them for the parade. Cinna prepares her for the parade and set her up to match along with her partner, Peeta Mellark. Cinna goes with them to the chariots to set their capes on fire. He proved his talents when he amazed the Capitol audience with his unusual and breath-taking designs throughout the course of the series. It is he who originally created "the girl on fire" theme, in which he dressed Katniss, and his partner stylist, Portia, dressed Peeta, in black unitards to represent coal and lighting them with synthetic fire that doesn't burn but can be quenched by a solution made to counter it. Cinna celebrates with Katniss, Peeta, Portia, Haymitch, and Effie. Cinna converses with the grown ups to decide what to do next. Cinna prepares to design her dress for her interview with Caesar Flickerman. He keeps the theme by designing Katniss' interview dress, a gown made completely of precious jewels in flame colors, reflecting the lighting to make her look like she is "engulfed in flames". Katniss tells him about her problems, to which Cinna tells her if she has to say something bad or can't find the right words to find him and say it to him; Katniss succeeds by doing this. Cinna dresses her up in her uniform for the 74th Hunger Games. During the wait for launch, Cinna tries to comfort Katniss and tells her he isn't allowed to put money on tributes, but if he could he would bet on her. He designs her Victor dress, keeping the theme of fire, yet toning it down to candlelight to symbolize innocence rather than the fiery spirit for which the theme was first created. Cinna hints her about the Capitol being enraged by their suicide threat.

Catching Fire
In the second book, Catching Fire, Katniss keeps contact with Cinna through a phone she has in her kitchen. Cinna goes with them on their victory tour and their first stop is to District 11, Cinna designs her dress for her speech to honor Thresh and Rue. Cinna designs her victory dress. Cinna gives Katniss a designed pair of gloves for Gale, who throws them back at her saying he doesn't want anything made in the Capitol. Cinna also designs all of Katniss' outfits for her Victory Tour and her wedding dresses (Peeta having proposed at the end of the Victory Tour). When she and Peeta are also reaped for the 75th Hunger Games, he designs, along with Portia again, the Entrance Ceremony outfits; black unitards that glow like coal embers. However, he does not get the chance to design her interview dress, as President Snow insists she wear her wedding dress. When she first puts it on, it is described as "heavy." During the interview, her wedding dress transforms into the plumage of a mockingjay. When she spins around with her arms raised, she is surrounded by silvery smoke. The symbolism of the mockingjay, since her defiance in the previous Games, has become the symbol of rebellion. After Katniss' transformation, the audience get Cinna to stand and he is acknowledged with a long applause. Katniss fears for his safety knowing President Snow did not take this well. Cinna sets Katniss up in her uniform for the Third Quarter Quell. As they wait for the launch Katniss talks to Cinna, asking him how the uniform looks. Cinna is acting strange knowing something will happen. Cinna tells Katniss that he's still betting on her. As Katniss is in her glass cylinder, about to launch into the 75th Hunger Games, Peacekeepers enter the Launch Room and beat Cinna unconscious with spiked gloves. This act causes Katniss to unhinge for a moment, fretting that they will kill him for his design of her wedding dress during the interview. They drag him away and, according to Plutarch Heavensbee, he is killed during interrogation. Katniss suspects that President Snow planned this to throw her off-guard while in the Hunger Games arena.

Death
"I'm still betting on you."

- Cinna

In Catching Fire, ﻿Cinna is in the Launch Room with Katniss to say his farewells (as he is unsure if she and himself are to survive) when three Peacekeepers dash out and start to beat Cinna with spiked gloves hitting him first in the temple, knocking him to the floor. Katniss and her stylist are separated by a glass tribute tube, so she is forced to watch, screaming his name as the guards drag a bleeding, unconcious Cinna away. In Mockingjay, Katniss is told that Cinna is believed to have been killed during interrogation.

Despite Cinna's death, his designs live on in the third book, Mockingjay. He had already designed her Mockingjay Uniform, sketching it out in secret a few weeks before the start of the 75th Hunger Games, knowing there would be a war. His last message to Katniss is written under a sketch of her pin in the sketchbook containing his designs for her Mockingjay uniform. The message reads: "I'm still betting on you".

Mockingjay
Cinna is dead in Mockingjay, but Katniss remembers him as he designed almost all of the non-Thirteen-issued clothes she wears over the duration of the book. His death is part of the reason she becomes suicidal. Later on, when she and Peeta are making records of all the dead that were important to them, she says that it would be "a crime to forget...what Cinna could do with a length of silk."

Designs
Cinna's outfits are mainly focused on Katniss and what suits her best. In all of his outfits, Cinna wanted her to look outstanding. His designs were made to play up Katniss' image as "the girl on fire". Katniss's first outfit was a plain black shirt with matching pants. A black cape that was lit with tampered real flames topped her outfit off. Her second dress was black with priceless jewels creating fire designs. When she twirled, she looked like she was engulfed in pure flames. "''I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun." ''Katniss's third dress (nicknamed her "innocent dress"), falls to her knees and is a soft candle light yellow. Cinna tries to make Katniss look as innocent as possible; however, she is still seen as the girl on fire in this dress as it has a ripply, soft glow. His fourth dress is a fitted black jumpsuit, with a crown and it "comes to life as fire" turning different colors. She wears it in the 75th Hunger Games parade. Katniss's fifth dress is a long white gown, completed with pearls. Cinna secretly altered the dress so that when she twirled, she would become a mockingjay. This symbolized that the rebellion was still alive and confident. But, sadly, this brave and rebellious act would cause his death later in the second book. The sixth and final dress Cinna created is a mockingjay uniform for her to wear on television and in battle. It is said in the book that Cinna thought of everything when he created the uniform, like a pocket by her collarbone to hold a nightlock pill that was strategically placed so Katniss could bite the pill free even if she was handcuffed.

Aside from these dresses, Cinna also designs various dresses for the Victory Tour in Catching Fire.

74th Hunger Games
Since District 12 is the coal mining district, he amazed the Capitol audiences by focusing on the fire more than the actual coal. To introduce the 74th Hunger Games' tributes, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, to the Capitol, he designs a outfit which certainly caught the audiences's attention.

74th Hunger Games Victory Tour
Cinna remained Katniss' personal stylist for her victory tour, which took place about 6 months after the Games. For the tour, he designed a myriad of dresses for each district stop and parties. In addition, due to Katniss' inability to find a "talent", he helped Katniss pretend to be interested in fashion, and designed a series of outfits for Katniss to publically claim to be hers. During this time, Katniss came to regard him as a close friend.

The outfit Cinna designs for the first day of the Victory Tour Katniss describes as, "Flowing black pants made of a thick, warm material. A comfortable white shirt. A sweater woven from green and blue and gray strands of kitten-soft wool. Laced leather boots that don't pinch my toes." Another one of Cinna's outfits for the Victory tour includes a white coat, leather gloves, a bright red scarf, and earmuffs. The outfit Katniss wears in District 11 is described as, "a pretty orange frock patterned with autumn leaves." Cinna designs dresses for Katniss to wear to banquets and balls. One is described by Katniss as a pale pink and strapless. Another is described by Johanna as a dark blue velvet number. The green dress worn by Annie Cresta at her wedding was designed by Cinna for Katniss in District 5. Throughout the books, Cinna keeps Katniss's hair in its "customary" braid, to keep her recognizable.

After Katniss accepted Peeta's proposal during the Victory Tour stop at the Capitol, Cinna designed a set of wedding dresses. The Capitol audience voted on the finalists to select the one that would have been used for the wedding. Katniss describes the winner as having sleeves that touch the floor and lots and lots of pearls.

Katniss Everdeen
Cinna, Katniss' stylist in The Hunger Games, was expected by Katniss to be like her prep team (whom she is not particularly fond of), but turns out to be a very decent person and quickly becomes someone she trusts.

In her victor's house, there is a phone which had no use before she started to chat with Cinna about her "talent". Since the only thing she was good at was hunting, Cinna suggested fashion designing. He took care of everything for her, including creating a book of sketches that she could show to the cameras. Cinna designed many things for her, including her opening ceremony garment for the Hunger Games, which sparked his theme for her major public appearances, "Katniss, the girl who was on fire."

Katniss feared for his safety before the Quarter Quell, and indeed, as Katniss is in her glass cylinder, about to launch into the 75th Hunger Games, Peacekeepers enter the launch room and beat Cinna unconscious. This act causes Katniss to unhinge for a point, fretting that they will kill him for his design of her wedding dress during the interview. They drag him away and, according to Plutarch Heavensbee, he is killed during interrogation. Katniss suspects that President Snow planned this to throw her off-guard while in the Hunger Games arena.

Despite Cinna's death, his designs live on in the third book, Mockingjay. He had already designed her mockingjay uniform, sketching it out in secret a few weeks before the start of the 75th Hunger Games, knowing there would be a war. His last message to Katniss is written under a sketch of her pin in the sketchbook containing his designs for her mockingjay uniform. The message reads, "I'm still betting on you."

Personality

 * "Don't worry. I always channel my emotions into my work. That way I don't hurt anyone but myself."
 * ―Cinna hinting to Katniss about the design for her wedding dress

Cinna' designs suggest that he is intelligent and can manipulate Capitol citizens, because his popular designs win Katniss many fans. He maintains a guarded control over his emotions and over his ideas so that he would be the only one to suffer from the consequences, showing his bravery and his disdain for the harshness with which the Capitol wants to rule every aspect of Panem. He personally told Katniss that he channels his emotions through his work. He does however show care for Katniss and a deep desire to oppose the Capitol through his knowledge of fashion.

Cinna is described as being a very sweet, lovely, enigmatic person who takes pride in his work. He is also a very caring person, as he attempts to calm Katniss down right before the 74th Hunger Games by holding her hand and saying if he was allowed to bet, he would bet on her. He seems to be something of a father figure for her, as well as a friend.

Physical description
"I'm taken aback by how normal he looks."

- Katniss

Most people who live in the Capitol follow very absurd fashion trends; however this is not the case for Cinna. This suggests that he may not have been born in the Capitol. He does not speak with a Capitol accent. The first time he appears in the book, he is described as wearing a simple black shirt with matching pants. His one strange fashion choice is gold eyeliner, which brings out the gold flecks in his green eyes. Katniss seems to find this tasteful. Other than that, Cinna looks very normal, with short brown hair, which Katniss assumes is not dyed, and green eyes. He also has 6 gold earrings in the film, 4 in the left ear and 2 in the right.



Film portrayal
In The Hunger Games film, Cinna is portrayed by singer Lenny Kravitz.