Lemont native wins international fashion design award

SAVANNAH, GA (06/18/2012)(readMedia)-- 21-year-old Krystal Sokolis, a native of Lemont, IL and a recent graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, has won the 2012 Independent Handbag Design Award in the student category. The sixth annual award ceremony, the only handbag competition of its kind in the world, was held in New York City and drew some 400 attendees, including designers from dozens of countries.

"I am so thankful," said Sokolis. "This has completely opened the door to the next path in my life. I can't wait to step in and begin designing products with personality."

Sokolis faced some still competition.  The organizers stated that this year's contest resulted in a record 1,000 handbag entrees which judges pared down to the final 30 in seven categories.

Sokolis' winning handbag was inspired by "a whimsy twist on steampunk." (Steampunk is an aesthetic that originates in the romantic elegance of the Victorian era and blends in modern scientific advances.) "Compasses, gears, and gadgets are my thing," said Sokolis. "A touch of class to the old world style, simple in design but complex in technique. My tag line has now become 'We have rejected your reality, and have substituted it for our own.'

Her handbag is an all-handwoven leather computer case, with a hand-whittled exotic wooden handle and custom-printed gnome fabric for lining. A silhouette of a cicada is cut from a sheet of nugold for the brand, which stands for 'rebirth.'

In addition to the award, Sokolis has won the opportunity to design for the private label collection, Piazza, for Handbags.com.

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