The 2023 American Image Awards by AAFA
On Tuesday, April 26, 2023, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) had the AAFA American Image Awards at the Supreme Plaza Hotel in New York City. The ceremony honored inspirational leaders and advocates in the apparel and footwear industries. Before the Awards program, the red carpet buzzed with stars, fashion executives, and designers to celebrate the night’s honorees. Designers and Creative Directors included designers Brandon Blackwood, John Bartlett, Ruthie Davis, Gita Omri, Danielle Frankel, Andrew Kwon, Nicholas Raefski, Charles Harbison, Grace Ling, and Sonya Keshwani. Other VIP guests included Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, Executive Director of GLSEN, CaSandra Diggs, President of CFDA Steven Kolb, and actor David Granados.
The emcee of the evening Segun Oduolowu, the host of Boston Globe Today, Charmed the crowd with his wit and charismatic energy.
The AAFA American Images Awards honorees are the following New Balance Athletics Inc for the company of the year accepted by Joe Preston, the company’s President, and CEO. At New Balance, he served in roles including Vice President, Asia Pacific; Executive Vice President, International; Executive Vice President, Global Product & Marketing; and Chief Commercial Officer before taking the role of President & CEO in 2018.
Willy Chavarria, senior vice president of design at Calvin Klein and owner eponymous label, is the recipient of the Designer of the Year award; Willy was named a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize in 2018. In 2021, Willy was one of 10 winners of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund. IMG and the state of New York announced Willy as one of ten recipients of a small business grant in 2022.
Harlem’s Fashion Row for Fashion Maverick, accepted by Brandice Daniel. Brandice created HFR in 2007 to bridge the gap between multicultural designers and the fashion business by providing opportunities to showcase their skills and abilities in an industry often inaccessible to them through fashion shows and other events.
Brandice has led collaborations while creating opportunities for designers with brands like Banana Republic, Janie, and Jack, American Girl, and the most historic, Nike and Lebron James. The HFRxLBJ16 shoe was the first Lebron sneaker designed by and for women, and it sold out in less than five minutes.
The inaugural global vanguard was given to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, the director of the world trade organization (WTO). She is a global finance expert, an economist, and an international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was formerly Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. She was previously on the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc. She was appointed African Union (AU) Special Envoy to mobilize international financial support for the fight against COVID-19 and WHO Special Envoy for Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
Finally, William Mcdonough for Eco-Steward of the Year. William McDonough is a globally recognized leader in sustainable design and development and is known as “the father of circularity.” Through McDonough Innovation, McDonough advises commercial and government leaders worldwide on ESG, sustainability, Circular Economy, and the design of products and facilities.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN IMAGE AWARDS
Owned and operated by AAFA for nearly 50 years, the American Image Award has honored those who have exemplified leadership, excellence, and outstanding achievement in all sectors of the apparel and footwear industry – including design, manufacturing, and retail. The American Image Awards Gala is the one event in the fashion industry each year where the worlds of design, manufacturing, and business intersect.
The award ceremony was a sensational service filled with many room shakers and innovators. Emcee Segun Odulolowu filled the room with glee every time he stepped to the podium, captivating the crowd as they ate dinner. People like Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA, said, “Each of tonight’s honorees is at the forefront of our changing industry, and they are building communities that will shape and define the future of America fashion,” as each honoree shared their story holds on their way to their victory. First, Brandice, from Harlem’s fashion row, wowed the crowd with her honesty. The Designer of the year, Willy Chavarria, was still filled with awe.
After dinner, Dr. Uzodinma Iweala was able to give her say her acceptance speech via video for her inaugural Global Vanguard award, and her son, CEO of The Africa Center – Dr. Uzodinma Iweala, also made an appearance thanking AAFA and the rest of the audience on behalf of his mother. The last award of the night company of the year went to New Balance Athletics, accepted by Joe Preston, the company’s CEO. He delighted the crowd as he thanked all his friends and supporters.
As the night drew to a close, people gathered and congratulated all the night’s honorees.
Check out our previous coverage of the awards here.