The 2014 Independent Handbag Designer Awards: Vote For Your Favorite!

By Christina Shanahan
May 14, 2014 @ 2:30 pm
Dyad Photography

Call it a global affair: over 1,500 independent designers from around the world submitted their most dazzling creations for the 8th Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards.

The judges have spoken, and 30 finalists made the cut. Now it’s your turn to vote. Click through the gallery to see all of the finalist’s bags—from sleek clutches to roomy totes—and then vote for your fave at instyle.com/ihda.

Tweet Tip

Help us choose the Independent Handbag Designer Awards' Fan Favorite!

The designer who receives the most votes will be crowned the InStyle.com Audience Fan Favorite at the Independent Handbag Designer Awards in New York City on June 18th, hosted by Handbag Designer 101.

Go ahead, show us your style smarts!

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1 of 31

BEST HANDBAG IN OVERALL STYLE AND DESIGN

Dyad Photography
The Designer: Jalan Sahba
The Brand: Jalan Sahba
Home Base: Verona, Italy
Inspiration: "My last Limited Edition was influenced by the six years of my life I spent in India: the vibrancy of its colors, its bold textures, and the truth of its essence. I was undoubtedly swayed by India's visual culture. For instance, our signature-shaped semi-precious stones come from Udaipur and are carved by one of India's last remaining Royal jewelers."

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2 of 31

BEST HANDBAG IN OVERALL STYLE AND DESIGN

Dyad Photography
The Designer: Bernice Angelique
The Brand: Bernice Angelique
Home Base: London, South Africa
Inspiration: "I wanted to create a beautiful evening bag that has a bit of an edge. I've actually come to love wearing this bag across the body during the day when all I need to carry is a cell phone, lipstick, and a credit card."

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3 of 31

BEST HANDBAG IN OVERALL STYLE AND DESIGN

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The Designer: Ella McHugh
The Brand: Ella McHugh
Home Base: New York, NY
Inspiration: "My inspiration comes from the glamorous silver screen era in Hollywood. In my designs, I try to capture the mystique of the 1920's and 1930's, adding an updated elegance to create an exquisite piece."

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4 of 31

BEST HANDBAG IN OVERALL STYLE AND DESIGN

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The Designer: Manar Laktineh
The Brand: Moni&j
Home Base: Salmiya, Kuwait
Inspiration: "Our all-time inspiration as an accessory brand is taking the whole outfit to the next level. In this bag, we added the metal epaulet parts to take the bag from classical to edgy."

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5 of 31

BEST HANDBAG IN OVERALL STYLE AND DESIGN

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The Designer: John Edwards
The Brand: Florian London
Home Base: London, England
Inspiration: "British Heritage. We have embraced our English heritage, which shows in the embellishment that we have used in our hardware and the detailing of our products."

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6 of 31

THE OPTITEX BEST STUDENT MADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Stephanie Carnes
The Brand: Stephanie Carnes
Home Base: Linden, NJ
School: Fashion Institute of Technology
Inspiration: "Western landscapes, modern architecture, and motorcycles."

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7 of 31

THE OPTITEX BEST STUDENT MADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Amy Davidson
The Brand: Amy Davidson
Home Base: London
School: Royal College of Art
Inspiration: "Architecture, lace, vintage bags, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London."

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8 of 31

THE OPTITEX BEST STUDENT MADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Palwasha Iqbal
The Brand: Palwasha Designs
Home Base: Dix Hills, NY
School: Fashion Institute of Technology
Inspiration: "I was inspired by 1960?s Pop Art in color and form. It's a nod to the era without looking dated."

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9 of 31

THE OPTITEX BEST STUDENT MADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Morgan Richards
The Brand: Morgan Rhea
Home Base: Savannah, GA
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Inspiration: "Menswear, including Berluti, John Lobb, Ralph Lauren, Frye, Kenneth Cole, Brooks Brothers, Stubbs and Wootton, J.Crew, and Jack Spade. I?m also inspired by bespoke style, people's stories about their journeys in life, classic silhouettes, and Lucille Ball."

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10 of 31

THE OPTITEX BEST STUDENT MADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Kathleen Friedman
The Brand: KathleenDia
Home Base: Brooklyn, NY
School: Fashion Institute of Technology
Inspiration: "Growing up in the Midwest, spending time at my grandmother?s farm, playing dress-up with old vintage clothing, helping my seamstress mother, studying traditional hand leather working techniques, taking ballet and tap dance classes, and life in New York City."

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11 of 31

THE BERNINA BEST HANDMADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Mary Lai
The Brand: Marylai New York
Home Base: New York, NY
Inspiration: "The clutch is inspired by our muse, Stassi Schroeder, from Bravo TV's Vanderpump Rules, and collaboration with couture bondage lingerie brand, Bodybinds. We developed a visual story with a photo shoot around her and this bag in New York. We brought in elements of Old Hollywood glamour to blend with the look of the provocative lingerie and our edgy handbags."

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12 of 31

THE BERNINA BEST HANDMADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Lauren van der Kolk
The Brand: LVDK
Home Base: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Inspiration: "Taking a close look at the construction of old bags. I love leather as a natural material, and enjoy showcasing the raw edges."

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13 of 31

THE BERNINA BEST HANDMADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Anna Sushko
The Brand: Anya Sushko Handbags London
Home Base: London, England
Inspiration: "The dynamic of life in London, nature, the human body, and architecture, which has had a profound impact on my work. This particular bag is a tribute to the Art Deco period."

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14 of 31

THE BERNINA BEST HANDMADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Gili Rozin Tamam
The Brand: MeDusa
Home Base: Tel Aviv, Israel
Inspiration: "It's a tribute to the old world culture and Far East design aesthetic. In this style, the plastic is combined with textiles reminiscent of carpets and upholstery, which creates a playful juxtaposition of design traditions-one ancient and the other new."

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15 of 31

THE BERNINA BEST HANDMADE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Tessa Spielhofer
The Brand: Tessa Spielhofer
Home Base: London England
Inspiration: "The problem women have where items get lost in a handbag. I wanted to create a bag in which everything can be organized without too much fuss. The exterior design needed to be easily adaptable to day and night, and hence needed to be made of colors that easily match to any outfit."

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16 of 31

THE TIMBERLAND BEST GREEN HANDBAG

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The Designer: Jessica Rizzuti
The Brand: Jess Rizzuti New York
Home Base: Bronx, New York
Inspiration: "The materials really inspired this bag. It gave me a chance to explore a surface pattern and execute it in a way that I had never done before. I allowed the materials to speak to me, and that dictated the design. Cork has always been one of my favorite materials to use, for it's sustainability and versatility."

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17 of 31

THE TIMBERLAND BEST GREEN HANDBAG

Dyad Photography
The Designer: Devinder Singh
The Brand: KC Malhan
Home Base: Orlando, FL
Inspiration: "I wanted to discover a way to manipulate the jute into a structured bag that had a soft, organic feel rather than a stiff appearance and rough texture. I blended form and function into a traditional shape to create a new fashion-forward look without compromising the environment."

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18 of 31

THE TIMBERLAND BEST GREEN HANDBAG

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The Designer: Carolina Riffi Ollite – Hopman
The Brand: Carat23
Home Base: Flevoland, The Netherlands
Inspiration: "The mix of the fabric with leather, and the organic way it has been made, gives the bag a soul. This philosophy is why the brand is named Carat23, because we aim for purity and sustainability, just like gold, which embodies 100% purity."

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19 of 31

THE TIMBERLAND BEST GREEN HANDBAG

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The Designer: Mindy Madden
The Brand: Melaina Madden
Home Base: Victoria, New Zealand
Inspiration: "Making something beautiful and practical from someone else?s 'trash.' Picking up old pieces and seeing the potential in them to create something completely different, I'm inspired to prevent more landfill use by re-using what is already in existence to create a new and exciting piece."

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20 of 31

THE TIMBERLAND BEST GREEN HANDBAG

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The Designer: Alla Klingman
The Brand: Alla Leather Art
Home Base: Ashdod, Israel
Inspiration: "Perfect clean lines of White Lilies, and the idea to sculpt the bag by hand, using only water, treads and leather."

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21 of 31

MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE HANDBAG

Dyad Photography
The Designer: Zainab Ashadu
The Brand: Zashadu
Home Base: Lagos, Nigeria
How the Design is Socially Responsible: "We work with local artisans hailing from Northern Nigeria, and preserve and enhance skills that have been passed down through generations. We pay our artisans a good wage, and provide accommodations and healthcare at no cost. We also work with locally sourced and treated materials and teach and update our team with the latest industry practices."

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22 of 31

MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Monica Frisbie
The Brand: Mondrina
Home Base: Sag Harbor, NY
How the Design is Socially Responsible: "We employ local artisans in Peru to manufacture our textiles and beadwork embellishments. Currently, we are working with male prisoners in Cusco where they weave custom textiles designed by us. There are many skilled artisans in prison in Cusco and they have no access to local markets to keep selling goods they produce once they are in prison. Employing the prisoner enables them not only to use their skills in a productive manner while serving time, but their family members earn fair price for the products they create."

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23 of 31

MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Charlotte Lefebvre
The Brand: Bush Princess
Home Base: Nairobi
How the Design is Socially Responsible: "The Bush Princess handbags are ethically handmade in Kenya. We train our employees so they can produce the highest quality possible. We also pay them a fair wage and cover their health insurance-a gigantic help in Africa. We employ Maasai women to create beautiful beaded artwork on our handbags to keep their culture alive."

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24 of 31

MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Deena Gabr
The Brand: Deena Abdul
Home Base: Houston, TX
How the Design is Socially Responsible: "As an Egyptian-born citizen, I was privileged to be raised in a community of unity and deep culture. I was persistent on manufacturing in Egypt for many reasons. First, I wanted to provide opportunity and employment for talented individuals that know the trade well. I wanted expand the manufacturing process in leather, as it is a very rich textile. Secondly, I wanted to be able to provide a healthy working environment and work ethic for those that have faced hardship the past few years amidst political upheaval. I focused on updating already-established factories with new equipment and set appropriate working conditions for employees. All the while, our profits aid in helping feed those less fortunate through our partner charity, Meena."

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25 of 31

MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE HANDBAG

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The Designer: Aase Marie Hole
The Brand: HAA
Home Base: Oslo, Norway
How the Design is Socially Responsible: "We hire local craftspeople in Indonesia to build our product, and our pay structure enables our employees to provide their families with a good quality of life. This includes health care and education for the entire family. HAA promotes and encourages socially responsible working hours by controlling production in a sustainable way. We believe in educating our crafters to be socially aware when sourcing and developing our pieces. Our craftspeople are trained to be considerate to the global, humanitarian and environmental implications of producing each item. Through personal development and in-house training the people we work with are educated in commercial design, product development, and small business management. We donate $10 from every bag sold to a local educational program."

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26 of 31

DISTINCTLY DENIM BY GUESS

Courtesy Photo
The Designer: Tika Kuchukhidze
The Brand: TIKA
Home Base: Barcelona, Spain
Inspiration: "Guess's Spring 2014 collection, especially the denim styles, like the Ring Bag."

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27 of 31

DISTINCTLY DENIM BY GUESS

Courtesy Photo
The Designer: Mary Lai
The Brand: Marylai New York
Home Base: New York, NY
Inspiration: "My inspiration for this sketch was a bow that I made out of leather. It's a feminine yet modern bow that was the foundation. I incorporated this bow to function as a handle and ornament when dropped down due to the design of the O-ring connector. When I completed the sketch, I titled it 'Bow Down' to play on a popular song by Beyoncé."

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28 of 31

DISTINCTLY DENIM BY GUESS

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The Designer: Angela Brown
The Brand: Scarfia
Home Base: New York, NY
Inspiration: "Versatility. The Guess girl does a lot of fun things in the day. Even though she may want to start off wearing a chain-shoulder bag while she is shopping, by dinner she may wish she had a clutch! The chain is removable and turns into a fierce chain belt that?s represents the Guess name."

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29 of 31

DISTINCTLY DENIM BY GUESS

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The Designer: Ayana Evans
The Brand: YANA Handbags
Home Base: New York, NY
Inspiration: "The youthful and fun attitude that Guess embraces. I picture the Guess girl as a multifaceted young woman, so I wanted to give her a convertible silhouette that can be worn as a wristlet, shoulder bag, or fanny pack. I imagine someone wearing this bag during the day at a music festival, during the evening on the perfect first date, or during a summer party at night."

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30 of 31

DISTINCTLY DENIM BY GUESS

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The Designer: Pilar Tarrau
The Brand: Pilar Tarrau Bags
Home Base: Key Biscayne, FL
Inspiration: "My inspiration has always been the colorful and bold details of my native culture and the numerous country sites of Latin America. My travel experience to other outstanding landscapes, such as St. Moritz in Switzerland and Aspen, Colorado, has helped me develop a special sense of style."

Love it? Vote for this bag to win Fan Favorite now.
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