A Walsall College Fashion student has landed her dream job as a designer with Brady Bags after impressing bosses during a live design brief, and could also see her first bag design launched in East Asia. BTEC Level 3 Fashion student, Lucy Jones took part in a project, presented by the firm to the college’s budding designers, to come up with a unique and on trend bag design. Students had a month to work on their designs and then pitched them to the firm’s bosses, before Lucy’s three designs were selected alongside one other student.

The talented student also had the opportunity to complete a work experience placement with Brady Bags and be involved in the manufacturing process of her bags, from choosing fabrics and materials to seeing the design as they came off the production line.

Sample prototypes of the bags will now be flown to Japan, China and Korea, where they will be showcased to distributors who will assess the suitability for the East Asian market.

Managing Director at Brady Bags, Peter Wilkes, commented: “Throughout the whole process of this project, Lucy showed an incredible creative intuition for design; she is very in touch with changing fashion trends and what appeals to consumers. She met the brief with her ideas but also came up with something original yet in keeping with our brand, demonstrating that she has the makings of becoming a great designer.

“We look forward to welcoming her on board our team in a few months, after she has completed her course.”

Lucy, 17, said: “Being offered a job before I’ve even finished college is a dream come true. I can’t believe I’ll be starting my career in fashion at the age of 17. It’s been my ambition for such a long time so this is incredible.

“Working on a live industry brief for Brady really pushed me to work hard and use all the skills I have learnt at college on a real project, and it’s great to see that my efforts have paid off. During my placement I learnt a lot about the industry and enjoyed seeing the whole factory process, from design to production. Now I can’t wait to join Brady and start working on more designs.”

Curriculum Manager for Fashion at Walsall College, Christine Taylor said: “We are very proud of Lucy for securing a job and delighted that Brady Bags have noticed her talents.

“As a college we are committed to ensuring that our courses help students develop the industry skills which make them competitive in the jobs market. Alongside classroom studies, work experience in the fashion sector and taking part in real projects for employers are an integral part of our Fashion programmes. This helps students develop the foundation skills they need to become successful designers and carve their careers in a rewarding industry.”

Brady Bags are high quality leisure bags handmade in Walsall, from best quality canvas, brass components and English bridle leather. Established since 1887, Brady is a renowned name around the world and East Asia is currently one of its fastest growing markets.