Handbag Designer 101, in conjunction with The Fashion Center BID announced the winners of the first annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards which were held on June 20th, at the Museum of the City of New York.
The Independent Handbag Designer Awards provided an opportunity for budding designers to break into the notoriously exclusive fashion and accessory business.
Designers of the most stylish and trendy handbags squared off against one another with 5 awards given for Handbag Design Excellence. The pressure was on and creativity took over as the contenders designed competing handbags for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their work among their peers in New York City, the fashion capital of the world.
Famous designer Carlos Falchi received the first Lifetime Achievement Award at this event. Falchi has changed the landscape of accessory design. For more than three decades, he has earned international acclaim as an innovative designer of modern, cutting-edge handbags and accessories.
Handbag Designer 101 – the handbag designer resource, is a hotspot website where handbag designers, aficionados and experts unite to find undiscovered handbags by independent designers; learn about the latest handbag trends; see the handbags that celebrities are wearing today and find out about the latest handbag shopping events.
The brainchild of Yasmena and Yazzy Bag creator and handbag designer consultant, Emily Blumenthal, Handbag Designer 101 bridges the gap between designer handbag fan blogs and high-fashion websites.
“This handbag competition offered a unique platform to talented and undiscovered designers to receive the validation and accolades that are long overdue for being an independent handbag designer and become the latest ‘it’ bag," says Blumenthal. “We were thrilled with the number of entries from aspiring designers and the amazing response we had to our first IHDA. We are looking forward to next year and seeing the Independent Handbag Designer Awards grow as an industry event.”
A Fashion Panel of judges consisted of: Carrie Chapman (Senior Accessories Buyer for Barneys New York), Rebecca Weinberg (Emmy Award Winning costume designer and stylist), Phyllis Magidson (Curator of costume design and textiles for the Museum of the City of New York), Paula Correri (Accessories Editor of the Tobe Report), Julia Poteat (Assistant Professor of Fashion Methods for Parsons The New School For Design), Robin Beck (Accessories Editor for CosmoGIRL! Magazine) and Irenka Jakubiak (Editorial and Fashion Director, Accessories Magazine).
The Fashion Center New York City
