There may be plenty of designer bags out there, but this spring there will be one must-have handbag hitting Maidstone.

And it’s a product of home-grown talent.

The design was thought up by 17-year-old Alex Rowe, from Invicta Grammar School, who will now see her bag in shops after winning a contest at the Clothes Show Live.

She beat off stiff competition not only from nine classmates, but thousands of other young hopefuls from across the country.

Alex’s cream and blue oversize bag will now be made by Fiorelli and made available in shops this spring, after she was named Young Accessory Designer of the Year for her entry.

She and fellow pupils Jade Aspinall, 16, Catherine Scale, 17, and Chloe Sullivan, 16, were all invited to attend the show with their finished bags.

Such was their determination to win, they were still working on their designs in the car on the way to the show at the NEC, Birmingham.

Their brief had been to create an oversize “bag for life” which the modern girl could “fit her life into”.

Alex, who is studying product design textiles AS level, decided on a nautical theme. She said: “It will be a key trend for the spring. You can mix and match it with a lot of trends.

“I really enjoyed the whole thing. My favourite part is the design process; coming up with the final idea and seeing it at the end.

“I really enjoyed being able to see our things on the catwalk in front of people.”

Part of her prize is £2,000 towards her further education, which she hopes will be at the London College of Fashion.

She said: “I definitely want to go there. I have always been interested in fashion, textiles and clothes.

It took the four girls three weeks to create the bags from their designs, supported by teacher and head of department Janette Lloyd.

Catherine, from Leybourne, came up with a cream bag with a rose detail. She said: “I made my design really difficult because I never thought I’d have to make it. When they called I thought “Oh dear, I have got to make it now.”

Alex wasn’t the only one celebrating. Jade’s entry, which had an eye-catching huge purple bow on the front, came second.

Chloe’s cream bag also had a floral theme

Alex’s prize also included £1,000 for the department.

For details on how to enter the Clothes Show Live Design Awards 2009 visit click this