Moooove over Papa—Momma’s got a brand new bag and is it ever worth singing about. WOW! Chattanooga’s Orean Collier has every reason to sing and shout as much as she wants. This extremely talented single mom recently won firsts place in the first ever Be Discovered: Design a Handbag Competition, sponsored by Marie-Clarire Magazine and Glam.com. A panel of judges selected her from finalists picked from 50,000 online votes!
For this highly competitive national design contest, Ms. Collier created the “Lillian,” an artfully embellished soft leather handbag named in honor of her late grandmother. Hopeful entrants were first asked to submit a sketch of their designs for approval before creating the actual hand bags. The competition was stiff as hundreds submitted prospective plans knowing that only eight designers would be given the “go ahead” to bring their drawings to life, and in only three short weeks to boot. When the fateful day arrived, Ms. Collier received the joyful phone call that she had longed for.
“I was so thrilled to be able to call Orean and tell she had won. She screamed and cried with joy” said Tracey Harrington Anderson, Executive Editor of Glam.com. “Inspired by reality TV, we partnered with Marie- Claire and brainstormed for a way to search for great talent such as Orean that would otherwise be overlooked and to bring this experience on-line.
“The edit team at Glam.com chose 32 finalists (8 a week for four weeks) and then the readers voted and the top 2 each week became finalists. The winner was chosen by a panel of well renowned judges. We at Glam were blown away by the talent that surfaced. The quality of the hand bags was out of control. We are really excited about how the audience embraced this contest. All the purses will be sold on e-bay and the proceeds will be given to the New York Foundation (an organization dedicated to strengthening New York neighborhoods).
“As our grand prize winner, Orean will be flown to New York City where she will be an Accessories Editor for the day at Marie Claire, stay in one of the top hotels and be treated to a fabulous dining experience. Orean is a beautiful person inside and out. We look forward to hearing more wonderful things about her.”
Likewise, Joanna Coles, Marie- Claire’s editor instantly recognized Ms. Collier’s outstanding artistic gifts. She reportedly said “my eye went straight to Orean’s handbag. The bag has so many design elements that are fun, stylish and functional. The shape, color and decoration grabbed my attention right away. Plus, the bag is light and has stylish hardware and great outside pockets. This one is bound to be talked about.” Other expert fashion judges included: Anya Hindmarch, Samir Arora, Gene Pressman, Jill Swid, Bonnie Pressman, Paul Wilmot, and Frank Zambrelli.
What seems like a “fairytale” happening was really a long time in the making for Ms Collier, a self-taught artist: “I used to work at a fabric store, got various material, embellished them, and made different things. If we made something and displayed it for 6 weeks in the store, we got to keep it. London, my ten year old daughter, was my first model. I made purses and clothes. At first, I went by patterns but eventually began creating my own. I especially love unusual, bold patterns and animal prints. In 2005, a handbag manufacturer in Italy contacted me and started making bags from my designs. My purses have been sold at Embellish on Frazier Ave. and at Shoe Candy at Hamilton Place. My personal favorite is the Diamante bag. I’ve worked very hard for a long time and hope to open my own boutique in Chattanooga, one day.
“I had the belief that one day things would turn around for me and, I began to write things on my calendar as to when things would happen, because I came across a quote that just stuck with me and it is: ‘A vision without a deadline is simply a dream’ and that's what I had for many years, just a dream but I began to speak things out of my mouth, like this is my year (2007); this is my season. I could see things in my mind’s eye and I started calling them forth. I didn't quit no matter what my situation looked like. I just kept on believing.
“One day, a friend called to tell me about the contest and said ‘you’ve got to do this contest,’ so I went for it. I have a binder full of ideas. One design in particular popped out, the one I named after my grandmother who had just passed away, One week after I submitted my full color sketch to Glam.com I received a message saying ‘congratulations, your sketch has been chosen and you’re in the running.’ Several weeks went by before I was chosen as a finalist and asked to create the actual purse. We had to make the bags ourselves and were not allowed to use an industrial machine. The hardware, handles, everything, had to match the pictures. I bought all my materials, including soft calf skin with an embossed design, leather needles, hardware, etc., made the purse, and then waited and waited and waited. Eventually, I received word that I had won. My daughter shouted ‘you won-you won-you won’ over and over again.”
London is deservedly proud of her mother: “When my mom wasn’t sure if she was going to win or not, I told her I just had a ‘feeling.’ After that, it seemed to boost her confidence. I’m so proud of her and happy that all this is happening.”
For more information, visit www.dalonoriginals.com. Sketches and photos of the eight finalists' handbags can be viewed at http://www.glam.com and bid on at http://www.marieclaire.com