Patrice Morgan was just 22 years old when she founded local fashion magazine ‘Showoff’. These days she is setting her sights on an even bigger goal of becoming an international accessories designer.Ms Morgan recently went back to school to study accessories design at London College of Fashion. She learned how to create leather handbags from scratch, how to make patterns and come up with initial design concepts.Now back in Bermuda she is busy trying to get her own luxury accessories label, called ‘Bermuda Born’, up and running.She said her biggest hurdle was raising enough money to market the brand in major cities around the world. However, with support from the public on crowdfunding website www.indiegogo.com, she is hoping to make her dream a reality.Over the next 29 days she will be looking to raise $20,000 on the site — which allows people to donate towards her new business in return for certain ‘perks’.A contribution of $5 will get people a ‘shout out’ on Twitter; a donation of $25 could get you a ‘Bermuda Born’ iPen.For $275 you can get one of Ms Morgan’s unique leather handbags, coined the ‘Voyage tote bag’; while $1,200 will get someone a three nights stay in Bermuda, as well as the chance to meet the designer and get a private tour of the Island.Ms Morgan is hoping that locals will invest in her dream and said: “In order for Bermudians to succeed we need to take our products global.“And I feel whenever we have a Bermudian with a bigger outreach than the Island it’s something worth investing in because Bermuda will only benefit in the long run.”She also named her line after her home country, which she said “speaks volumes” to how she feels about the Island.“I want people to feel they can be proud of wearing something from a Bermudian,” she said.Ms Morgan, 31, wants the brand to be sold worldwide for a few reasons; partly so it can educate people about Bermuda and peak people’s interest in visiting the Island.She also wants the line to showcase her passion for fine leather goods; and for the items to become somewhat of a family keepsake that can be passed from generation to generation.“That is more or less the story behind the brand and differentiates me from others,” she said. “I want my customers to have that personal connection with the items.”‘Bermuda Born’ will consist mostly of handbags and wallets, but Ms Morgan will also branch out to include jewellery.The designer has already created a bracelet made of a mix of silver and cedar wood, which she said adds a local element to the accessory.But it has been a challenge for Ms Morgan to get the studio space and all the resources she needs for the line while on Island.In London, she had access to industrial sewing machines, as well as the tools and equipment needed for working with leather.She now has to source these products from overseas and said a lack of studio space is “the number one problem” for her.Despite the challenges, she is looking forward to launching the new line and showing the public what she has been up to in the past few years.“Everybody has known I went away for school and did accessory design, but no one has really seen what I have produced.“So I am finally happy to be able to say ‘You can go online and support the start-up company’ and if that happens I can bring them more designs in the future.”She has been working on launching ‘Bermuda Born’ for the past year and said this project has been “a long time coming” for her.Ms Morgan told The Royal Gazette: “It feels like a rebirth because it’s something that is my passion and my first love.“When I decided to get into magazine publishing I felt like I fell into that career and came to love it, versus this which I have loved from very young. Now I have come full circle and can say this dream has come to fruition,” she said.For more information on her business start-up project, visit www.indiegogo.com and search for ‘Bermuda Born’.