Allegra receives her award

Burgess Hill student has it in the bag

Burgess Hill student wins handbag design award at The Clothes Show 2015 for the second year running

Posted by Stephanie Broad | January 13, 2016 | School life

• #burgess-hill-school
• #handbag-design
• #clothes-show-live
• #award
• #independent-schools

Burgess Hill student Allegra Cook was once again crowned ‘Young Handbag Designer of the Year’ at the Clothes Show Live, having gained the award last year too. Allegra, a keen Textiles student at Burgess Hill Girls, accepted the challenge to design a clutch bag to launch a new luxury brand. Research was conducted and ideas were sketched. The designs were sent for the judges to consider and from thousands of entries across the country, Allegra was selected as a finalist. 

Allegra’s idea was to create a circular bag based on an old-fashioned pocket watch, using luxury silk and velvet fabrics to represent gold. Inside the bag she created a watch face, which used gems at the hour points. Allegra described the project as ‘a feat of fabric engineering’.

On 8 December, in a packed NEC, the ten finalists’ bags were modelled on the catwalk. Allegra’s pocket watch bag was the winner, recognized for its attention to detail and watch face design.