American Apparel & Footwear Association<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"2024](\"https:\/\/img.einpresswire.com\/large\/462349\/aafa-logo.jpeg#1856x853\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/p>\n2024 American Image Awards Honorees Collage<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Celebrating excellence and influence across fashion, this event spotlights visionaries who embody Innovation, Stewardship, Leadership, and Global Impact.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Steve Lamar, President and CEO, AAFA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, December 6, 2023 \/EINPresswire.com<\/a>\/ — The American Apparel & Footwear Association<\/a> (AAFA) announces inspiring honorees for its 2024 American Image Awards<\/a> this spring in NYC. Celebrating excellence and influence across the fashion landscape, this prestigious event spotlights visionaries who have embodied Innovation, Stewardship, Leadership, and Global Impact. <\/p>\n A distinguished group of individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions across the fashion industry and in communities around the world, the 2024 honorees include: <\/p>\n Lizanne Kindler, Executive Chair & CEO, KnitWell Group, as Person of the Year; Carhartt, Inc. as Company of the Year; Wes Gordon, Creative Director, Carolina Herrera, as Designer of the Year; Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre, as Global Vanguard; Global Fashion Agenda, accepted by CEO, Federica Marchionni, as Eco-Steward of the Year; and Allan Ellinger, Senior Managing Partner, MMG Advisors, as Trailblazer.<\/p>\n The gala \u2013 taking place at Gotham Hall in New York City on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 \u2013 will feature return emcee Segun Oduolowu, Boston Globe Today TV show host. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Foundation will be the event\u2019s longstanding charitable beneficiary.<\/p>\n Steve Lamar, President and CEO, AAFA reflects, \u201cThis year\u2019s American Image Awards honorees have shepherded significant advancements throughout our industry \u2013 transforming the business through innovation and stewardship while accelerating traceability, transparency, and technology across their U.S. and global operations. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments and ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEntering our 8th consecutive year as AAFA\u2019s beneficiary partner, the CFDA and its Foundation are incredibly proud that with AAFA\u2019s support we are able to foster critical initiatives bettering the American fashion industry at large,\u201d said Steven Kolb, CEO, CFDA. \u201cWe thank AAFA for their continued focus and partnership of the CFDA Foundation<\/a>, which is so crucial to our initiatives around health, safety, diversity, inclusion, and progress.\u201d <\/p>\n PERSON OF THE YEAR KnitWell Group is a collection of iconic American specialty apparel brands, Ann Taylor, Haven Well Within, Lane Bryant, LOFT, and Talbots. Together, these brands employ 30,000 associates, in 1,700 stores, generate $4 billion in annual sales, and have more than 12 million loyal customers, making KnitWell one of the largest specialty apparel companies in the United States. <\/p>\n KnitWell Group was officially established in August 2023 under Kindler\u2019s leadership to harness the power of this best-in-class, multi-brand operating model. Through KnitWell, Kindler and her team have found a way to leverage consistent best practices while also delivering iconic, relevant, and inspiring brands with unique product and customer experiences.<\/p>\n COMPANY OF THE YEAR Founded in 1889 as a purveyor of workwear in Detroit, Michigan by Hamilton Carhartt, Carhartt, Inc. has grown from a mere two sewing machines and five employees creating the brand\u2019s now-legendary bib to one of America\u2019s most recognizable brands. Emblazoned with the iconic \u201cC\u201d patch, Carhartt\u2019s workwear is instantly recognized the world over for rugged, durable gear designed to serve and protect hardworking people and last generations.<\/p>\n Today, Carhartt remains family-owned by direct descendants of Hamilton Carhartt himself and operates more than 30 company-owned stores, with their flagship location and headquarters still located in the company\u2019s hometown of Detroit. Carhartt has manufacturing operations in the United States, Mexico, and Europe, with more than 3,000 employees worldwide. Continuing to redefine the limits of workwear with new technologies and enduring value, Carhartt remains committed to providing purpose-built products designed to take on any condition \u2013 both on and off the job site.<\/p>\n DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Appointed by the brand\u2019s legendary founder, Carolina Herrera, Wes leads the global creative strategy of the global luxury fashion house across all brand platforms including ready-to-wear, fragrance, beauty, and eyewear. Upon graduation from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, the Atlanta-raised designer moved to New York City to launch his eponymous line of womenswear and presented his collection in New York from 2010 to 2016. <\/p>\n During this time, Gordon received the Fashion Group International\u2019s Rising Star Award and was a finalist for the CFDA\/Vogue Fashion Fund. In March 2017, Wes began consulting with Carolina Herrera before being appointed Creative Director in 2018. Most recently, Wes was inducted into Business of Fashion\u2019s venerable #BoF500 list and in 2021 the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.<\/p>\n GLOBAL VANGUARD Having worked extensively with the private sector and academia across African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to build trade-related institutional strength within member States, Ms. Coke-Hamilton also established the Women Empowered through Export (WeXport) platform to address the disadvantages that women-owned firms experience in accessing markets. She began her career in Jamaica\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and later also served as Director of Trade, Tourism and Competitiveness of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA).<\/p>\n ECO STEWARD OF THE YEAR Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) is a non-profit organization that fosters industry collaboration on sustainability in fashion to accelerate impact. With the vision of a net positive fashion industry, it drives action by mobilizing, inspiring, influencing and educating all stakeholders. Through its partnerships with some of the garment industry\u2019s most influential and celebrated companies across the value chain, Federica Marchionni, an industry veteran, is spearheading the fashion industry\u2019s journey towards a more sustainable future. Through its work, GFA reaches thousands of stakeholders including brands, innovators, NGOs, policy makers, manufacturers, investors and more. <\/p>\n One of GFA\u2019s keystone events is its Global Fashion Summit, a multi-stakeholder event renowned as a nexus for agenda-setting discussions on the most critical environmental, ethical, and social issues. Marchionni leads on elevating the organization’s prestigious forums, continuing the publication of reputable thought leadership, and propelling its advocacy efforts. With GFA she strives to instill the belief that a thriving garment industry has the power to create prosperity for people and communities, reverse climate change, and protect biodiversity.<\/p>\n TRAILBLAZER Founder and Senior Managing Partner of MMG Advisors, a 35-year-old investment banking advisory practice focused on the consumer product sector, Allan has been instrumental in building and evolving the practice from its initial turnaround\/restructuring emphasis to one of the preeminent full-service M&A firms servicing the fashion and consumer products sector. Since 1989, Allan and the firm have been involved in hundreds of engagements including restructurings, sell-side, and buy-side investment banking assignments. <\/p>\n Ellinger is an active fashion insider who strongly believes in, and advocates for, social responsibility. He is the Founder and former Chairman of Fashion Delivers, which merged with K.I.D.S. in 2013 to form Delivering Good and which he chaired through 2018. Ellinger has also been a member of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City’s Accountants & Bankers Division, the Fashion Division of UJA Federation of New York, as well as a Board member of AAFA. <\/p>\n Full details about the honorees and gala, including how to participate can be found at www.americanimageawards.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n ABOUT THE AMERICAN APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASSOCIATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN IMAGE AWARDS ABOUT THE CFDA FOUNDATION R. Scott French
\nLizanne Kindler, Executive Chair and CEO of KnitWell Group, Inc.<\/p>\n
\nCarhartt, Inc. \u2013 accepted by Danilo Amoretty, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain – Product Supply and Operations<\/p>\n
\nWes Gordon \u2013 Creative Director, Carolina Herrera<\/p>\n
\nPamela Coke-Hamilton \u2013 Executive Director, International Trade Centre
\nPamela Coke-Hamilton has served as Executive Director of ITC since October 2020. Since that time, she has led the agency to meet the economic and trade challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent global supply chain disruptions. Ms. Coke-Hamilton has a breadth of experience and expertise in trade-related capacity-building and sustainable development and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable economies such as the small island developing states and least developed countries. <\/p>\n
\nGlobal Fashion Agenda \u2013 accepted by Federica Marchionni, CEO<\/p>\n
\nAllan Ellinger, Senior Managing Partner of MMG Advisors<\/p>\n
\nThe American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market. Representing more than 1,000 world famous name brands, AAFA is the trusted public policy and political voice of the apparel and footwear industry, its management, and shareholders, its more than 3.2 million U.S. workers, and its contribution of $490 billion in annual U.S. retail sales. AAFA drives progress on three key priorities: Brand Protection; Supply Chain & Sourcing; and Trade, Logistics, & Manufacturing. AAFA approaches this work through the lens of purpose-driven leadership in a manner that supports each member\u2019s ability to build and sustain inclusive and diverse cultures, meet and advance ESG goals, and draw upon the latest technology.<\/p>\n
\nOwned and operated by AAFA for close to 50 years, AAFA\u2019s American Image Awards has been honoring those who have exemplified leadership, excellence, and outstanding achievement in all sectors of the apparel and footwear industry.<\/p>\n
\nThe Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association, whose membership consists of America\u2019s foremost apparel, jewelry, and accessory designers. The CFDA Foundation is a separate not-for-profit organization, which was created to raise funds for charity and industry activities. Through innovative partnerships with brands, retailers, and CFDA designers, the Foundation is able to leverage fashion and effectively generate awareness and funds for these charitable causes.<\/p>\n
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