Got a handbag design that’s competition worthy?

The Independent Handbag Designer Awards, sponsored by Handbag Designer 101, have opened up submissions to a new class of aspiring designers, and will be reviewing applications until April 28^th.

“Last year’s winners at the Independent Handbag Designer Awards (IHDAs) were just regular people with big dreams – that is until the IHDAs opened up a world of endless possibility that included retail partnerships with Saks 5^th Avenue, feature placement in the September issue of InStyle magazine, and national recognition in a tightly controlled and competitive industry,” says the IHDA.

This years categories for the contest include:

Best Handbag in Overall Style & Design

Best Student Made Handbag

Best Handmade Handbag

Best Green Handbag

Most Socially Responsible Handbag

Audience Fan Favorite Handbag

The winner of the Best Green Handbag will receive the chance to collaborate with Timberland and Amorim Cork Composites to develop a product for sale made of cork in Timberland’s stores and a feature in the September issue of InStyle. Other sponsors of the competition include WWDMAGIC, Kenneth Cole, Saks Fifth Avenue, Handbags.com, Kipling, and Singer Sewing Co.

Now in its 6^th year, the IHDAs has seen its winners catapult their careers and fulfill their lifelong dreams by being on the arms of shoulders of Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and Heidi Klum. Last year’s IHDA’s exceeded expectations with over 1200 applicants and 353,000 votes on InStyle.com for the Audience Fan Favorite. Emily Blumenthal, author and founder of the IHDA says her group is the accessories industry’s international “first round draft pick” for handbag designers.

“Sales in the United States are $10 Billion annually and growing. Gross margins can average over 70%. This sector has one of the highest average price points per unit in their segment, low barriers to entry, a sophisticated contract-manufacturing based supply chain, and recessionary resilience likened by some analysts to the lipstick theory,” says Blumenthal.

Is the accessories sector of fashion a tough business to break into? Blumenthal says the market is extraordinarily over-saturated for the aforementioned reasons.

“One does not need to be a designer by trade in order to become a ‘handbag designer’ which is a pro and a con, depending on the budget and access to talent standpoint of the person starting out. Having said that, it has given the IHDA an advantage since innovation comes from the unknown designer whom we usually are the first ones to discover.”

Got questions? Go here to have them answered and go here to buy your tickets for the June 13th event! And as one of the judges for the awards, I hope to see your work or you soon!

Here are some of the Best Green handbag winners and finalists from past seasons:

Adrienne Rabelo

Jess Rizzuti

Mei Vintage

Stella Vittorio

The Sway

The post The Independent Handbag Designer Awards Open for Submissions appeared first on EcoSalon.

Here we go again! Ladies, time to lay claim to another one of the boys’ signature pieces – the fedora. No longer meant just for celebrities traveling incognito, the straw fedora has become a summer staple fit for traveling, lounging on the beach, or running around the city doing errand on the weekend.

If you are in the market for a fedora check out a classic from Louise Green, or add a bit of color with the one from Livity. And, if you are forecasting that this trend is one that will stick around for fall and winter (as we are!), pick up a cool weather accomplice from Claudia Schulz.

Take a bad hair day and turn it into a style statement by twisting your hair into a low loose bun that hits the nape of your neck. Pull a few pieces free from around your face, and position your fedora with a sideways tilt for a super sexy cool look. One thing is for sure, the fedora amps the coolness factor of any outfit up a notch and is one trend you won’t want to take off any time soon.

The post Hats Off to the Fedora appeared first on EcoSalon.