(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK, NY – 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 here.
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