Best Handbags from the Independent Handbag Designer Awards 2016

Congratulations to all of the talent who won an Independent Handbag Designer Awards last week. Competitors entered their work from countries all over the world. There has been a decade of indie designer labels and handbag designers that have built great brands or careers.

This Awards show may be less famous than the CFDA Awards a few weeks before, but of all of the fashion industry's events, I feel like this one is the most emotionally and creatively engaging for both the viewer and actual designers. More often than not, it's about what celebrity wore the designer. At the IHDA, designers are rewarded for their talent in craftsmanship, working with socially responsible initiatives or creating sustainable handbags.

Another moving aspect of this competition is how the designer have made the judges and audience a part of their personal journey in designer their collections. Creator Emily Blumenthal has personally been involved in reaching out to the designers across the world and learned from their stories. She often brings designers back in later years so fans like me can catch up on what the designers are doing in the years since then. I remember seeing a pregnant Blumenthal in the early years, and in 2016, her daughter is now in charge of handing out the trophies. It was an apt image representing how both her personal family and the handbag designer family has grown.

We at Ms. Fabulous asked Emily Blumenthal a few questions about her experience with the awards over the years:

Ms. Fabulous: After a decade of being Godmother to handbag designers around the world, what was your proudest moment from the past ten years?

Emily Blumenthal: There have been so many. We are just thrilled to have helped so many and discover talent that would have never been found.

Ms. F: How has the handbag industry changed since the first awards, for the better or worse?
E.B.: The market always works in cycles. It's definitely making a comeback now.

Ms. F: I love that you update us on what past winners are doing. Do you keep up relationships with designers over the years? Are people collaborating?

E.B.:  We always maintain relationships with our past finalists and winners. Their successes we celebrate with them.

Ms. F How has mentoring independent designers affected your work?
E.B.: We work with designers to ensure they make good decisions and keep their line on trend and not price themselves out of
the market.

Ms. F:  Do you have an all-time favorite handbag design?
E.B.: Can't pick favorites…

I ran into former winner Lorna Nixon (winner in multiple years). A Brit, who moved to New York now working for a larger brand, but also working on a collaboration with this year's Bernina Best Made Handbag, Stevan Saville. Other winners include Carolina Kuhnen Ecco as the Best Student Made Handbag, Jacqueline Suriano for the Most Socially Responsible Bag, Zeh Liu for the Mary Kay cosmetics bag, Cathleen Nicol for the Trina Turk Resort Bag, Adrian Furstenburg for the Guess Logo Handbag, Stacy Chan won Pantone's Wild Color Card Award, Yanique Moore won Audience Fan Favorite and finally, Tiffany and Lynn Lu for the Best Handbag in Overall Style and Design.

To all of the finalists and winners of the Independent Handbag Designer Awards 2016, bravo!

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Independent Handbag Designer Awards 2015

 The best of independent handbag designers were awarded this week at the Independent Handbag Designer Awards 2015. Makers from all over the world participated with their passion projects. It is one of my favorite industry awards as it truly celebrates and elevates indie designers without the distracting factors of celebs, paparazzi, and red carpets.

The event is the dream of designer Emily Blumenthal. It was a way to bring recognition to the legions of independent labels who made handbags. Now in its ninth year, winners of the awards now land spreads in InStyle magazine, receive mentorships at huge brands, debut their collections at Bloomingdale's and are carried on the arms of top celebrities. 

What always struck me about these awards was the sincere involvement of established designers themselves. One of the first iconoclast lifetime achievement recipients was Carlos Falchi. Ever since the first awards show, he was so inspired by the event that he remained to involve and mentor future years as the unofficial Godfather of the awards until his recent passing. Blumenthal gave a wonderful tribute to the designer and his daughter was on hand to present the last award of the night.  

What I always loved about this competition was that it not only elevated the craft and recognition of design talent, but it rewarded humanity in the field as well. The most inspiring categories (long before it became fashionable) are ones like Best Green Handbag, won this year by Sugandh Agrawal of Gunas Handbags. She is committed to making her collection sweatshop-free and ethically produced. Her winning bag was made from biodegradable canvas and recycled lining.

There is also the most Socially Responsible Handbag won by Ana Maria Plata of Leonor Designs. She worked with the Kuna community of Columbia to create traditional textiles called Molas. She then incorporated them into trendy, contemporary handbags. 

This year's recipient of the Iconoclast award was Rebecca Minkoff. Together with her brother, she was an emerging fashion designer herself during the first year of these awards and has grown into an international "IT" brand in the years since. 

Bravo to all of the Independent Handbag Designer Award Winners this year. You will find that hard work, passion and creativity do pay off here. I can't wait to see where you'll be next year!

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Independent Handbag Design Award Winners 2014

 

Congratulations to the talented winners of the Independent Handbag Design Awards 2014.  While the CFDA honors designers of multiple fashion categories, the IHDA is the only internationally known competition that celebrates the purse.

This was the 8th year that the awards were held, championed by accessories professor Emily Blumenthal.  The designers from over 100 countries around the world over the years consider her a Godmother of independent design.

Yes, these awards focus on labels that do not come from the same few corporations that run the industry.  Designers that win receive major pushes to their careers, such as partnerships with huge brands, photo spreads in InStyle magazine, launches at Bloomingdale's...

This year, the winner of Best Handbag in Overall Style and Design as well as Instyle.com's Audience Fan Favorite was John Edwards of Florian London.  His gorgeous wife accepted for him and humbly thanked everyone for their support.  She expressed his dream and sacrifices to get there.

That's what I love about these awards.  There is so much heart in the design, from the personal stories behind the makers to the good intentions in the handbag itself.  The winner for Timberland's Best Green Handbag was Carolina Riffi Ollite-Hopman of Carat23.  This was a category for bags made of renewable, organic or recycled materials.  The FEED sponsored the most Socially Responsible Handbag.  Monica Frisbie of Mondrina won for her Peru-made bag.

I loved Morgan Richard's story behind his winner for Optitex Best Student Made Handbag.  He dedicated his work to his uncle, who believed every piece should tell a story.  He made that directive literal, but telling the story of his uncle in a script-printed leather used on his bag.

Designers flew in from all over the world to attend the ceremony.  One of the few who did not make it was winner of Bernina's Best Handmade bag Gili Rozin Tamam.  She just had a baby.  Her MeDusa bag was a fun embossed and spiked clutch made from plastic.  MeDusa means "jellyfish" in Hebrew.

Guess Handbags sponsored a category asking for designers to sketch a bag using denim.  Finalists had their designs made and the winner, Tika Kuchukhidze of TIKA won an opportunity to work with the team in Italy.

Monica Botkier was this year's recipient for the Iconoclast award.  The Independent Handbag Designer Awards always honors a successful designer who also started independently and built a brand from scratch.

Get a jump on the next "It" bag from one of these designers and you can say you knew them when...

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Independent Handbag Designer Awards 2012

The best of independent handbag designers were honored last week at the Sixth annual awards.  This event is always truly special to me as someone who loves to champion indie creators.
Winning one of the awards isn't just a prize or a headline, but truly a multi-part support package that helps to advance the designer's career.

The award categories themselves brings out the best qualities that the indie fashion industry could hope for, like Most Socially Responsible (using ethical and moral standards in the production of the bag) and Best Green Handbag (made from sustainable, recycled or organic materials). Attendees are encouraged to donate old purses to Bottomless Closet, an organization that aims to outfit women with the confidence and fashion to interview for the right job.

Winners are featured InStyle magazine as supported by editor Ariel Foxman.  Singer sewing machines donate state of the art machines to equip an entire studio, mentorships, special collections in collaboration with designers all propel small business owners to new career levels.

Designers who were honored included Krystal Sokolis for Best Student Made handbag.  Sheila Harper won Singer Simplicity's award for Best Handmade, Aimee Kestenberg won Kipling's award for Creating with Nylon.  Best Green Handbag went to Fiona Kempton and Most Socially Responsible Handbag was awarded to Marisa Collado of Mexico.  The Best Handbag in Overall Style and Design was won by Bita and Rouzita Vahhabaghai for their gold and green reed-like clutch.  The Audience fan favorite (and mine) was Jennifer Lang's laser cut leather purse.

Designer and awards founder Emily Blumenthal has really mentored entire generations of designers with this competition.  Her passion has brought in designers like Carlos Falchi to do the same.

The iconoclast award honored Kenneth Cole this year.  His start in the industry is legendary, but his own wit about this business was even more charming.  His brand is known for leather goods, shoes and bags.  He advised that one should never judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes... (If you still don't like them, you are a mile away from them and you also took their shoes).

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