ACCESSORIES COUNCIL ANNOUNCES WINNERS FOR 2023 DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Today, the Accessories Council announced the winners for their 5th annual Design Excellence Awards at Fashionphile. 18 awards were bestowed to dynamic products that ranged in price from $40-$,9000 retail.
Building on its history of honoring individuals and companies, the Accessories Council launched the Design Excellence Awards in 2019 to expand the recognition of outstanding products. The awards are intended to drive retail sales for the important holiday shopping season.
The prestigious Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes one single iconic product or brand that has stood the test of time as determined by the Accessories Council Board, was awarded to Lucchese recognizing their 140th anniversary of Made in the USA footwear brand.
The Circana “Top Item” Award recognizes the top dollar volume item in the category that has seen the strongest recovery vs. 2020, in NPD’s tracked retail universe. This year’s winner is the Marc Jacobs “The Tote Bag”. The bag, which was designed by Marc Jacobs himself, is available in a variety of materials and sizes.
The FashionGo “Best of Best” Award went to BrunnaCo, a California based responsible & ethical fashion brand founded by Helga Ida Ayu. The bags are handcrafted, mainly by women in Indonesia, allowing them to work from home.
After carefully reviewing hundreds of entries and receiving nearly 10,000 votes the Accessories Council is pleased to announce the category winners of the third annual Design Excellence Awards are as follows:
| Category | Brand | Product & Price |
| Handbags
Over $1000 Retail |
Shinola | Detroit Overnight Satchel $1495 |
| Handbags
Under $1000 Retail |
Brahmin | Caroline in Black Nerina $425 |
| Eyewear (TIE)
Optical |
David Beckham
and Vogue |
DB 7116 $305
And 0VO5527 $127 |
| Eyewear
Sun |
Lanvin | LLNV6645 $450 |
| Brand Collaboration | Stuart Weitzman X AKNVAS | Ruffle Bootie $1,100 |
| Footwear
Over $250 Retail |
Veronica Beard | Vesper Tall Shaft Boot Wide Calf $695 |
| Footwear
Under $250 Retail |
Merrell | MTL X Reese Cooper $160 |
| Jewelry (TIE)
Fashion |
Nadri
And Brosway Italia |
“Rock Stars” Ombre Blue Chandelier Earrings $235
and Bracelet Chakra 2 $76 |
| Jewelry
Fine |
Lagos | Smart Caviar Lux $9,000 |
| General Accessories | Wallaroo Hat | Talum Artisinal Hat $71 |
| Tech & Innovation | Shed Rain | Vortex V2 Umbrella $40 |
| Social Impact | Freida Rothman | Women of Strength Bracelet $495 |
| Sustainability | Piper & Sky | Lola Crossbody $745 |
Design Excellence Award winners are representative of consumer tastes and trends that inform purchase power. Winning products were voted on by the public from finalist pools selected by the Accessories Council Board of Directors. Finalists were chosen based on the criteria of excellence in design, unique appearance and/or function, consumer needs addressed by product, appropriate aesthetics, innovative materials or technology, market positioning and competitive performance, social images, emotional appeal, and sustainability. It is this criterion in which consumers evaluate purchase and in which Design Excellence Award winners excelled.
Design Excellence Award winning products are available for purchase in the U.S. via retail stores, e-commerce, TV retail, or direct marketing between October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. The Accessories Council provides category finalists and winners with promotional tools for use at the wholesale and retail levels to market their products to consumers.
Sponsors of the 2021 Design Excellence Awards include Blackglama Exclusively by Saga Furs, JOOR (Tech & Innovation Award), Qurate Retail Group and Marchon Eyewear. Each of the winners listed above received a trophy designed by Marchon Eyewear. For more information on categories and finalists, please visit https://accessoriescouncil.org/design-excellence-awards.
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ABOUT THE ACCESSORIES COUNCIL
The Accessories Council, a not-for-profit international trade association established in 1994. Its mission is to stimulate consumer awareness and demand for fashion accessory products. The Accessories Council serves the industry globally, which generates over $54 billion dollars annually in the United States alone. Membership is represented internationally by the world’s leading brand names, designers, publications, retailers and associated providers for the accessories, eyewear and footwear industries.
About Lucchese:
Texas-based Lucchese is a legendary bootmaker and iconic brand of the American West. Applying the same craftsmanship principles and techniques since 1883, Lucchese artisans use only the finest leathers, preeminent materials and a proprietary twisted cone last to construct boots of unrivaled quality, fit, comfort and style. For more information about the brand visit www.Lucchese.com brand or their social media channels: Instagram: @lucchese Facebook: @lucchesebootmaker Twitter: @lucchese1883
About Circana:
Circana is the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data and deep expertise, we provide clarity that helps almost 7,000 of the world’s leading brands and retailers take action and unlock business growth. We understand more about the complete consumer, the complete store, and the complete wallet so our clients can go beyond the data to apply insights, ignite innovation, meet consumer demand, and outpace the competition.
About FasionGo:
FashionGo is the leading B2B wholesale online marketplace that enables the fashion industry to connect and discover new opportunities. Established in 2002 in the heart of the Los Angeles Fashion District, FashionGo supports the global wholesale industry to buy and sell the latest trends in fashion & lifestyle on a one-stop platform. With thousands of vendors and close to 1 million registered retailers, FashionGo provides powerful tools, best in class service, and insightful data. Driven by technology, FashionGo is how buyers and sellers of all stages shop smarter, sell more, and grow faster. FashionGo is part of NHN Global.