The American Apparel & Footwear Association has unveiled the names of fashion-industry influencers who will pick up a statuette at its 38th Annual American Image Awards on May 24.
Joseph Abboud, BBC International LLC, Shinola Detroit, Christian Siriano and Iris Apfel will receive the top honors at the ceremony, which will be held in New York.
“Every year, the apparel and footwear industry eagerly waits for the American Image Awards as a time to celebrate true innovation and leadership,” said Rick Helfenbein, AAFA president and CEO. “This year’s honorees epitomize the best of the industry from design through creativity, to business and marketing achievements. We’re so proud to recognize their successful contributions.”
BBC founder and CEO Bob Campbell will be on hand to accept the company of the year award for his firm, which has a stable of popular international brands and licenses in multiple distribution channels.
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Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) member and well-known fashion designer Siriano, who launched his eponymous collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, will nab the Designer of the Year honor.
Detroit-based retailer Shinola Detroit, “dedicated to creating world-class American manufacturing jobs and crafting watches, bicycles, leather goods and journals of the highest quality,” will received the Retailer of the Year award, accepted by President Jacques Panis.
Businesswoman, interior designer and fashion icon Apfel is receiving the Fashion Maverick honor. Apfel consults and lectures about style and other fashion topics; her career includes teaching positions at the University of Texas at Austin as well as the White House restoration projects.
Abboud, lifestyle designer and chief creative director of Tailored Brands, Inc., has been named Person of the year. Abboud is the only designer to win the Menswear Designer of the Year two years in a row (1989 and 1990).
For the second year in a row, the American Image Awards will benefit Mercy Ships, an international charity dedicated to providing impoverished people with free basic health care and life-changing medical surgeries.
