Meet the budding bag designers

When Raffles Millennium International, a design institute called in entries to attend the free bag design workshop held at their premises they did not anticipate the response. There were people of all ages and backgrounds who showed up eager to take part in the contest of skill and creativity. The large worktables were filled with materials that were provided by Raffles from bits of fabric to worn out jeans, sewing materials, sequins and glue. The participants then eagerly went to work cutting, sewing and embellishing and finishing their baggy creations.

“After all everyone carries a bag whether it’s big, small, seasonal, classic, new or vintage. It’s not limited to women, men need one to carry their papers or laptops too. That’s why we felt that organising this event would be fun as well as a good way to bring out some latent design talent,” said Edmund Lim of Raffles.

The group of 72 participants who heard about the workshop through SMS campaigns and social networking sites were anxious to get going and come up with their winning entry. They cut, sewed, pasted and glued together their creations with a wary eye on the clock. Overseen by the encouraging faculty members like Ayanna Nelson, a designer from Georgia, USA and the staff members, the bags made from different materials were finally finished and collected for the judge Qubra Khan, regional director from Hi-design to inspect.

“We are looking for creativity and utility as craftsmanship cannot be really showcased in the minimal time the participants have been given,” she said. “A good bag really depends on what you need it for. It should ideally be both stylish and functional. Of course, in this competition we are not looking for someone to re-invent the wheel, but to just be original, innovative and unique with their designs,” she added.

After much debate and discussion, the winners were declared. Fatema Raj won first prize for her unusual paper bag with abstract designs. Sindhur Hegde won for her funky denim bag and Chaitra for her dainty evening bag.