Be Discovered’s 2007 contest winner Orean Collier is proof that when it comes to fashion design, positive thinking can be as powerful a tool as creativity. After a friend ripped out an announcement about Glam’s handbag design contest from Marie Claire and urged Collier to enter, the Chattanooga resident pinned the magazine page to her calendar and wrote “YES!!” along side the entry. “I just decided that if I was going to enter, I was going to put my whole heart into it,” Collier recalls, “I even wrote I’m the Be Discovered Winner on the date when the contest winnings were to be announced!”

Collier, who had previously made patterned satchels for herself and for friends before starting selling her one-of-a-kind styles in local boutiques, submitted a sketch of her leather “Lillian bag” which was inspired by her grandmother. The endearing and versatile style earned her semi-finalist standing and later wooed our judges who awarded her first place.

Part of her winnings included a whirlwind visit to New York, where she spent a day at Marie Claire gleaning insight from editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, visiting downtown designer boutiques including Cynthia Rowley, sitting in on a photo shoot, and relaxing in the cushy Hudson Hotel. “I couldn’t believe I was there,” Collier says about her first trip to Manhattan, “I was just trying to take everything in at once—it was all so inspiring.” Immediately upon returning to the city—charged by the pace and vibrancy of the fashion capital—Collier set to work on opening her own handbag boutique in Chattanooga. “After I won, I came home and found the most amazing store space,” she says of her new venture, “It’s as if the stars were aligned.” And clearly, Collier’s star is one to watch.

To see more of Collier’s collection, check out DalonOriginals.com

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