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Module: 2

Handbag designing Tips

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What you’ll learn in this module:

2.1 Types of accessories

2.2 Understanding your clients’ needs

2.3 Process involved in a handbag collection

2.4 Tricks of becoming a successful handbag designer

2.5 Composition materials

2.1 Types of Accessories

Fashion accessories are simply the fashion items that one wears with their clothing in order to

improve their look and complete their outfit. There are different types of fashion accessories and

they include the following:

Belts

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You can get belts in various colors, sizes and materials. It is important to always put on a belt that

compliments your outfit and that is suitable for you. For example, if you are tall then you should go for

wide belts and someone with a thick waistline requires a belt that matches the color of his or her outfit.

Handbags

Handbags are very important since they hold a lot of things and can be used to make a fashion

statement. The handbag you carry should match the shoes you are wearing even if they are not of the

same color. It is also great to have a designer handbag you can carry around to show that you are fashion

savy.

Scarves

A scarf can help to keep you warm and it can also be worn as a decorative item. You can get scarves in

various colors, sizes, designs and fabrics. Scarves can be worn on the neck, waist, side loop, hat tie and so

on.

Eye wear

The kind of eye wear you decide on should be able to coordinate with your face. Examples of eye

wear include sunglasses, eyeglasses, and sunshade and so on. Your eyeglass frame should not be

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wider than the widest area of your face. Be careful with extremely decorative eyeglasses though you

should choose something that fits your purpose and lifestyle.

Footwear

Footwear exists in various styles for both men and women. The most important thing to remember

about footwear is that it shouldn’t dominate your outfit. If you are a lady then you can choose shoes that

are darker in color when compared to the bottom part of the piece of clothing you are wearing. If you

are a man then your shoes should blend with the color of your belt.

Jewelry

Jewelry helps to complete your outfit and improve your general appearance. Chains, ID bracelets, circle

earrings, rings, watches and pearl necklaces among others are examples of jewelries that can you can try

out when accessorizing your outfits. If you have a thick neck and you want it to be slender then you can

try wearing a medium length chain or necklace. Round beads necklace on the other hand helps a thick

neck seem a bit slender. Round earrings will help a thin, long face to become wider.

Headwear

These are important in keeping your head warm especially during the cold weather. In addition to that,

they can also be worn as accessories to complete your outfit. A good example of headwear is the hat. The

hat you wear should fit the size and shape of your head. Examples of other headwear you can try out

include baseball caps, straw hats, sport visors and knit ski caps.

Neckties

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Neckties are available in various designs and fabrics. There are both narrow and wide neckties and they

all fit different occasions. However, they are normally worn depending on the latest fashion style. Bow

ties are also preferred by some people.

Gloves

You can get gloves in various styles and most of them are used to provide warmth to our hands when it

is cold. They can also be worn as fashion items. You can put on leather or vinyl gloves when driving a

vehicle.

When you follow the tips provided here on how to choose and wear accessories then you can help your

customers make up their minds about what they should go with when they ask for your expert opinion.

2.2 Understanding Your Clients’ Needs

Understanding your clients’ needs is very important if you want to succeed in the handbag industry.

In order to do this, you need to take some factors into consideration.

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Identify your customers

This is the first thing you need to do in a bid to understand your client’s needs. Therefore, you need to

conduct market research to give you a better understanding of your potential customers. When you

conduct customer research then you will know how to target them. In addition to that, it will give you

more information such as their age, occupation, gender, disposable income and so on.

Find out their reasons for shopping

Since you now have your target audience, you can find out where their motivation for buying handbags

comes from. For example, you can find out if they shop depending on brand preferences, work demands,

budget preferences and so on.

Find out their preferred shopping methods

As important as it is to find out why you target customers shop, it is equally important to know how they

shop. You need to ask yourself if they consider shopping online or in stores. In addition to that, you need

to know if they think carefully before making their decisions or if they make spontaneous buying

decisions.

Find out what your customers value

If you want to be successful and give your clients what they want then you need to know what your

customers and potential customers’ value. If a client values quality then you should endeavor to provide

them with quality handbags.

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If they want something affordable then you can come up with that. If they value customized handbags

then that’s what you should deliver. When you do that, your clients will want to get their handbags from

you since you are able to give them what they want.

Stand out

There are many handbag designers and so you should ask yourself why clients would choose you over

the rest. This means that you need to be unique in some way. You can provide better quality handbags,

value added services, affordable prices and so on.

Have your clients’ best interest at heart

When designing handbags for your clients, it is important to think of what is in their best interests.

Therefore, you should take some factors into consideration when thinking of the handbag to give

your client. For example, you can consider what is affordable to them, what will compliment them

better and so on. When your clients feel that you care about them then they will want to shop from

you over and over.

2.3 Process Involved In a Handbag Collection

As a handbag designer, you need to know the process involved in creating a handbag collection

since you will need to do this in your business. These are the steps you can follow to achieve that.

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Get the inspiration

The first step you should take is identifying your source of inspiration. You can start collecting photos

and putting them in a moodboard. If you want to have a fast and organized system then you can keep

your moodboard online. You should start creating your moodboard after realizing what your inspiration

is. Some people are inspired by seasons, nature and so on and so you should find out where your

inspiration comes from. You can collect as many photos as you can until you feel like you have gotten

your collection concept.

Sketch the ideas

After getting your inspiration, you need to start sketching the ideas and your creative part will naturally

come out. You can express your ideas through sketches. Therefore, you always need to have your sketch

notebook with you especially if you are in this phase. Whenever you come across something that

inspires you then you can use drawings to recreate them into bags.

Choose your colors and fabrics

Getting the right fabric is important because it helps your concept come alive. It is advisable to explore

different fabric stores before deciding on what to settle for. Test the materials and find out the ones you

like.

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Design and fabric complement each other and they are co-dependent. For example, if you pick leather

then you can draw what you have in mind and then play around with different shapes and volumes of

the leather until you decide on a form that you prefer.

Documentation

This is very important since it will enable you come up with the complete concept and story. You can

learn about the different forms and proportions that provided you with inspiration for your bags. You

can consult specialists on the subject and get to know all you can about them. You can learn about new

techniques of manipulating the fabric you choose in order to provide your bags with the suitable form of

your source of inspiration.

Selecting the final styles to use for your collection

Come up with patterns and prototypes

You should be able to narrow down the number of styles you would prefer for your collection and these

are the ones you will use to create the patterns.

Produce

After all the preparation, it is time for the manufacturing process. This involves a lot of things such as

photo session, distribution and even evaluation. This is probably the most difficult part because it is all

about bringing your ideas to life. However, it is also rewarding since you will be able to see the fruits of

your labor.

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2.4 Tricks of Becoming a Successful Handbag Designer

Every handbag designer dreams of being successful. Have you ever imagined reaching a point

where you have your own line, celebrities wear your handbags on the red carpet and your name is

on the lips of top editors. Well, it can happen if you know what to do. These are some of the ways in

which you can become a successful handbag designer.

Get your fashion education

It is important to get fashion education whether you are a student who is just starting out or you are a

professional in another field but would like to change careers. This will provide you with the

professional training and expertise that your business requires. After getting your education, it is

important to work in the fashion industry for a while and this is where you’ll start to develop your

portfolio and network in the fashion world.

Plan your business

A realistic and working business plan is important in every business including a handbag business.

When doing this, think of what would make you different from the other handbag designers, who your

customer is, why would they choose you, how is the market and what position does your brand hold in

it? Identify your competitors and know their strategies. It is important to know the direction you are

headed before starting your journey.

Have a mentor and follow their success story

Get a mentor in the fashion world especially the handbags field and follow their success stories. You

can then implement the important things into your business to help you grow and become

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successful. When you know the challenges they went through then you will know how to overcome

them too since you might find yourself in similar situations.

Follow up trends and go to shows and exhibitions

As a handbag designer, you should always know where the fashion world is headed. Therefore, you

need fresh ideas and shapes and one great way of doing this is being updated on the latest trends.

This is why you need to know the trend setters in the industry and endeavor to attend their shows

and exhibitions.

Choose the right manufacturer

One of the most difficult and most important things you need to do is choose the right manufacturer. You

need to be able to deliver the quality that you promise your clients and to do it on time. Always make

sure that the final handbag you deliver to your client is of the same quality as the sample. This will make

your customers satisfied and they will keep coming back for more. It will also earn you a good

reputation.

Have a professional website

You need to adequately invest in photography and your website in order to capture your target market.

This is why you need to get a professional photographer for the job. Potential customers will be drawn

to your designs if they like what they see on your website.

Have a PR and get a sales agent

In order to be successful in this industry, you need to collaborate with the right people (agents in this

case) and these should be people who directly help you to get your niche market. The right agent

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will take you to the right buyers and right market. You can have a trial contract with them for some

time in order to see what they have to offer and if it is in line with what you want

2.5 Materials Used To Make Handbags

Constructing handbags require different types of fabrics and materials. These are examples of some

of the materials commonly used in making handbags.

Fabrics

There are various fabrics used to make handbags and they include:

Cotton: It is easy to cut, quilt and embellish cotton fabric. It is normally available in a range of colors,

weights, prints and textures.

Faux Fur: All the pattern pieces of this fabric have to be cut in the same direction. This fabric normally

has a nap.

Leather and Suede: These fabrics are made from animal skin.

Linen: This fabric gets wrinkled easily unless it is battled and quilted or interfaced. Although you can

pre-wash it, it is advisable to dry clean it. This fabric normally has a loose weave.

Polyester and Blends: It is very easy to take care of these fabrics. They get very little shrinkage when

you pre-wash them.

Rayon: This fabric is normally available in a variety of weights such as chiffon and slubbydupioni

among others.

Tapestry: It has a loose weave but you can stabilize it through fusing with interlacing.

Velvet and Velveteen: These fabrics should be cut facing the same direction; they have a directional

nap.

Lining Fabrics: Different types of lining can be used on handbags and they are available in a variety

of colors and textures. They are important in giving a bag a professional look

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For the bottom part of the handbag

The bottom part of a handbag needs support and the materials used to achieve this include hard

cardboard and plastic canvas.

For the handles and hardware

There are various kinds of handles that can be used for handbags and the purchased handles include

plastic, bamboo handles and wood. Other kinds of handles include beaded and cording handles. Drings

are examples of hardware that can be used for handles.

Closures

Examples of closures used to make handbags include:

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Loop and buttons

Magnetic straps

Zippers

Embellishments:

Examples of embellishments used to make handbags include:

Beads

Gems and Jewelry

Buttons

Asian tokens

There are other things you can use to make your handbags more appealing and this all depends on your

imagination. For example, you can use charms and tassels.

Glues and Adhesives

Examples of glues and adhesives you’ll need to construct a handbag include:

Fabric glues

White glues

Decoupage glue

Iron-on & hot melt adhesives (hot glue)

Tools

You will need cutting tools such as leather shears, scissors and rotary cutters. Self-healing mats are an

example of the cutting boards you can use. Other tools include metal punch, eyelets, pliers, and

grommets.

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Sewing techniques

Examples of the sewing techniques used in making handbags include:

Top stitching

Blanket stitch

Simple stitches

Edge stitching

Basting