Hi! I'm Amelia and I'm in love with creating. I've been making all different types of artworks since I was 2. I’m a future industrial designer and an aspiring jack of all trades. I believe everything should be customized and you should never limit your creative talent by sticking to one field.
One bag into my bag-designing career, I felt that a day bag would be a fun next challenge. My goal for this bag was quality. I wanted it to be something that, if I saw it in a store, I wouldn't think twice about buying. I think I achieved that.
The exterior of the day bag is 100% leather. The navy leather was gifted to me from leftover scraps after a competition, while the chocolate brown leather was purchased by me. The shape of the bag was inspired by vintage gym bags from major sports brands like Nike and Adidas. I loved their tapered, boxy silhouettes and incorporated those proportions into my pattern design.
Each leather panel is lined with denim from thrifted jeans I found at the Goodwill Bins. The denim provides both structure and a durable lining. Jeans are one of the most commonly donated garments, so why not continue the theme of repurposed materials inside the bag as well? I also created a quilted bottom panel lined with foam to provide additional rigidity and finished the edges with handmade piping for extra visual interest.
This project taught me that quality isn't just about expensive materials it's about thoughtful construction, careful craftsmanship, and giving overlooked materials a second life.
For only my second bag ever, I'm incredibly proud of the quality of the stitching and of seeing a flat material like leather transform into a functional product through the work of my own two hands.
As an industrial design student, I've been taught all kinds of tools to bring my ideas to life—many of which are used in the accessories industry but aren't often used within our educational department. I wanted to explore those resources by using my 3D printer, CAD modeling software, and the fabrication labs available to me.
I drew design inspiration from bucket bags with leather cages and soft interiors. After sketching a few concepts, I was off to the races. I made a paper mock-up of my bag and translated those proportions into my modeling software to create my laser-cut files, along with a mold for wet-forming the bottom of the bag. From there, I worked the leather into the bucket shape I'd envisioned.
Next came the soft interior. Let's face it, I'm a broke college student, and I had no desire to buy more materials. So I went on an adventure through the fashion department's scrap bin. I salvaged clean muslin, colorful satin, and rejected hardware. From there, I pieced together the drawstring pouch that lines my leather bucket bag.
For the handle, I'd been really inspired by the work the fibers students have been creating, so I decided to emulate some of their techniques. I bought some paracord and got to weaving the handle on my bedroom floor.
And voilà—my bag was finished, created entirely from my desire to experiment. I'm really happy with the result of my very first bag, and now I get to experience every designer's favorite moment:
"Hey, I love your bag. Where did you get it?"
"Oh, thanks—I made it!"
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