Bag Design and Production Short Course
Course description
Course overview
Under the expert guidance of your tutor, this course will guide you through creating a range of bags, with coordinating purses or wallets, from design concept to production.
Once confident in the basics of designing and researching, you'll be given a variety of projects to work on involving designing bags for different lifestyles and occasions. Looking at various case studies, you will start to investigate the importance of critical paths as well as how to analyse and interpret future trends. You will start to consider more advanced shapes, styles and construction as well as the importance of matching these to your target audience. To add to your design range, you will also produce mood and design boards as well as creating industry specification drawings to help communicate your collection effectively.
During this course, you will be guided on fabric selection, trims and fixtures. You will also discuss the importance of branding and how best to brand your collection.
The course will be supported with lectures and discussions and there will be opportunity for peer presentations and group feedback. Each course will include a guest lecturer who is an expert on a different aspect of the business. Details will be confirmed prior to each course.
Please note that his is a handbag design course and does not involve bag making.
Who this course is for
This course is suitable for anyone interested in the subject area and a desire to learn but no previous experience is required. This course covers all content included in Introduction to Handbag Design alongside more advanced techniques.
Key information
Topics covered
- Trend research and preparing design / mood boards
- Identifying your customer base
- Researching materials and their practicality, including leather alternatives, with reference to sustainability
- Discussion on leather / fabric and hardware suppliers
- Sourcing and ethical business practices
- Working drawings from initial concept to prototypes
- Technical spec sheets and material specifications - including how to talk to samplers
- Looking at new technologies and their impact and application to bag
- Analysing collections for production and marketability
- How to translate and evolve your collection season to season in line with your brand
Learning outcomes
- Gain insight into the wonderful world of handbags
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
Week 1:
- Notebook and pen/pencil
- Laptop / iPad / tablet
Week 2:
- Magazine tears, photos and research materials
- USB stick or access to equivalent cloud storage
- Fabrics
- A4/A3 sketchbook
- 3 A3 polyboards
- Pen and pencil
- Glue stick
- Scalpel and blades
- Laptop / iPad / tablet
As part of your research, you will be required to do some printing. Students will be required to put a minimum of GBP 2 in a printing account and pay by debit or credit card - the tutor will advise you during your course.
Tutor
Ann Saunders
Ann Saunders is a designer who specializes in handbags and accessories. Her extensive experience in the fashion industry includes print design, product development, brand coordination, and trend forecasting. After graduating, she worked for silk printers in Como, Italy, and designed prints in Denmark for In-wear Matinique. She also did colour forecasting for Burton/Arcadia. In addition to designing and managing her own brand, she collaborates with fashion entrepreneurs and manufacturers, helping them develop their product ranges. Based on her extensive experience, she devised an intensive 'Introduction to Handbag Design' course, which she has taught at the London College of Fashion and numerous international institutions.
Ann's book, 'Design, Manufacture and Sell Your Bag Collection' is published by Bloomsbury and includes extra online features.
Book a course
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