A few Sundays ago, we once again were honored to be a member of the preliminary panel for the Independent Handbag Design Awards. Supporting new or up-and-coming designers is one of our mission statements so we are 100 percent behind everything this events stands for. As part of the process we chose our tops picks in five different categories with all but one featuring a sponsoring company: Optitex “Best Student,” Bernina “Best Handmade,” Timberland “Best Green,” The Feed “Most Socially Responsible,” “Best Overall” and Guess “Best Denim Design.” There is also a “Fan Favorite” award, which includes all the nominees, with voting open to the public. (FYI: the bag featured on this page is a nominee in “Best Overall” and is designed by Jalan Sahba.)
With the 1,500 entries now edited down to five nominees in each category, a best of in each will be chosen by a final panel of 14 judges. The winners will be announced on June 18th at a event held at SVA Theater. Tickets are available for purchase. See all the nominees below (nominees for “Best Denim Design” were asked to submit a sketch).