An independent luxury handbag designer from Inverness has clutched a top award at a global competition which attracted about 1,500 entries.
Cathleen Nicol, who was just one of three Brits to be shortlisted, won the top prize in the Best Resort Bag category at the Independent Handbag Designer Awards (IHDA) in New York.
Her orange “Pippa” maxi-clutch bag stole the show for its use of bright colour in the leather exterior and lining, which is made up of Scottish-inspired organic patterns.
Mrs Nicol set up her own label, C.Nicol, about a year ago and sources and makes her luxury leather bags in the UK, with each being hand-cut, sewn and finished in London.
Wednesday night’s event was held at the SVA Theatre in the Big Apple and Mrs Nicol was presented with the award by Trina Turk, CEO of Trina Turk USA, a well known clothing brand which focuses on use of colour in their designs.
The awards are renowned for transforming the lives of unknown designers into well-known brands overnight.
Yesterday the 33-year-old, who now lives in Dubai but still regularly visits family and friends in the Highland capital, managed to have a quick word with The Press and Journal before boarding her plane home.
She said: “It was a really good night and a little bit surreal.
“I think they probably chose my bag because although I tend to use one colour, I got different illustrators and artists to design the inner lining to correspond with the season. So this season included patterns of bumble bees and flowers that reminded me of a Scottish summer.
“While over in New York I have been taking the opportunity to make connections and the next step will be to branch out into the US market. This award is a really good stepping stone for that.”
Mrs Nicol was born in Inverness and lived with her husband and children in Aberdeen before moving to the Middle East in 2009.
It was there that she undertook courses on fashion business and handbag design with London College of Fashion before launching her own accessories label in 2015.
Her first collection features Scottish leather and salmon skin, which is stocked at Banchory Lodge, the only place in Scotland to sell them.