British label wins at Independent Handbag Designer Awards

British handbag label C.Nicol was named the winner of the Best Resort Bag at the Independent Handbag Designer Awards, which took place in New York on June 15.

C.Nicol, led by founder and designer Cathleen Nicol, was one of just three British designers selected as finalists from more than 1,500 entries submitted by accessories designers worldwide.

The global awards celebrates the best new talent in accessories design and C. Nicol was recognised for its ‘Pippa’ in the Trina Turk Best Resort Style Bag category. The ‘Pippa’ presented in a vibrant orange Italian Tempesti leather was designed as the perfect day-to-night bag that can be carried under the arm. The ‘Pippa’ costs 349 pounds.

Commenting on her win, Nicol, said: “It is a great honour to have won an IHDA Award and a huge morale boost. Being a part of IHDA is a wonderful platform on which new accessories labels like mine can grow and develop.”

Other winners at the 10th annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards included, Tiffany Wu and Lynn Lu of Heirloom Bags taking the Best Overall Handbag honour, while Angela Olson of Angela Valentine won the Best Handmade Bag award, the All About the Logo by Guess Handbag was won by Adrian Furstenburg, and Hanna Varner from HR Deneau was awarded the Best Green Bag accolade.

The Wear With Confidence Bag award went to Zhe Liu of Zhe, while Carolina Ecco won the Best Student-Made Bag, Jacqueline Suriano took home the Most Socially Responsible Handbag award, and Stacy Chan was presented with The Pantone Wild Color Card Bag. There was also a public ‘Fan Favourite’ award that was presented to Yanique Moore from Ollie Quinn.

Images: C.Nicol