Talented teenager Sophie Bell has designs on a catwalk career after winning a top fashion award.

The 17-year-old from Carlisle has been named Young Handbag Designer of the Year at Clothes Show 2016.

Sixth former Sophie was one of two year 12 students from William Howard School, Brampton, named as finalists in the competition.

Classmate Clare Allgood also made it in to the final 10.

Entrants had to design a futuristic bag for 2040.

Impressed judges then invited shortlisted finalists to make prototypes to feature in a professional catwalk show during Clothes Show 2016, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Sophie, who lives in the Cumwhinton Road area, said: “We had to make a sustainable bag for the future.

“After submitting our designs we were contacted in late November and invited to make them up in time for the catwalk shows.”

Sophie travelled to Birmingham with her parents David and Angela and was surprised to hear her name called out when the winner was announced.

“We just thought we were going down to see the show and before we knew it I was up on the stage. We were totally stunned,” said Sophie.

Pleather – a plastic material made to look like leather – was used in Sophie’s prototype but her favoured fabric for a final design would use pineapple skins.

“I wanted to use pineapex, it made out of pineapple skins, which I thought would fit in with the sustainability brief we were given for our designs,” Sophie said.

“But I couldn’t source any for the sample so I used pleather and explained in my entry what my aim for sustainability would be.”

Sophie’s bag is also illuminated using LEDs.

She incorporated the lights not just for fashion purposes, but for safety too.

Sophie picked up £500 and a trophy for winning the competition. A further £500 goes to her school’s textiles department.

Sophie is doing textiles, business studies and English language at A-level.

She has ambitions to become an interior designer, which she now admits may change.

“I’m going to have to do more research now and explore what I want to do,” she said.

Sophie’s father David added: “We still don’t think it has sunk in. We were so surprised but are very proud of her.

“We’ve already had an approach from someone we know who is a retailer who is interested in talking about getting exclusive rights to develop Sophie’s design.”