The Accessories Council announced that the 6th Annual Design Excellence Awards will take place on November 4th, 2024 in New York City. With more category offerings than ever before, the winners will be celebrated with a formal Awards event at Manhattan’s newest luxe destination, The Fifth Avenue Hotel. 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. Entries are open now and will be accepted through August 30th.
“The Accessories Council is thrilled to celebrate the 2024 Design Excellence Award winners with a formal Awards program at an incredible new venue,” said Karen Giberson, President & CEO, Accessories Council. “With expanded categories in eyewear, fashion and fine jewelry, we are excited to include and recognize the amazing work of more independent designers.”
New categories include Independent Eyewear (1-2 brands) for Optical and Sun, and Fashion Jewelry under and over $100 (SRP.) Returning for the second year is the Brand Collaboration Award, which was awarded to Stuart Weitzman x Aknvas in 2023. Additionally, the Accessories Council will select its prestigious Hall of Fame Award recipient of the year, which recognizes one single iconic product or brand that has stood the test of time as determined by the Accessories Council Board.
After careful entry review and the close of the public voting period, the finalists of the 6th Annual Design Excellence Awards will be announced in partnership with Fashionphile on September 10th. The complete list of categories is as follows:
- Handbags Over $1000 Retail
- Handbags Under $1000 Retail
- Eyewear (Optical) Independent (1-2 brands)
- Eyewear (Optical)Multi-Brand (3 or more brands)
- Eyewear (Sun) Independent (1-2 brands)
- Eyewear (Sun) Multi-Brand (3 or more brands)
- Footwear Over $250 (SRP)
- Footwear Under $250 (SRP)
- Jewelry (Fashion) Under $100 (SRP)
- Jewelry (Fashion) Over $100 (SRP)
- Jewelry (Fine) Under $1000 (SRP)
- Jewelry (Fine) Over $1000 (SRP)
- General Accessories Soft accessories, scarves, gloves, belts, hats, umbrellas
- Tech & Innovation Luxury & Fashion Watches
- Social Impact Charity, Diversity, Inclusion
- Sustainability
- Brand Collaboration
The Accessories Council’s Design Excellence Award winners are representative of consumer tastes and trends that inform purchase power. Winning products will be voted on by the public from finalist pools selected by the Accessories Council Board of Directors. Finalists will be 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 excel.
Design Excellence Award winning products are available for purchase in the U.S. via retail stores, e-commerce, TV retail, or direct marketing between September 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. 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 2024 Design Excellence Awards include Marchon Eyewear, Fashionphile, and FashionGo. Each of the winners will receive a trophy designed by Marchon Eyewear.
For more information on categories, finalists, and the Awards event, please visit 2024 Design Excellence Awards.
About The Accessories Council
The Accessories Council is a not-for-profit, international trade organization established in 1994. Our mission is to stimulate global consumer awareness and demand for fashion accessory products. We serve the industry globally which generates over $50.8 billion dollars annually in the United States alone. Over the past 30 years, membership has grown internationally to include over 330 companies and organizations, representing the world’s leading brand names, designers, publications, retailers, and associated providers for the accessories, eyewear, and footwear industries. The Accessories Council publishes Accessories Magazine, a quarterly digital shoppable publication and hosts educational seminars, networking events, design & marketing awards, social media events, and the esteemed black tie ACE Award Gala, an annual tribute to the leaders of the accessory industry.
Most recently, AC Magazine, published by the Accessories Council quarterly, was honored with a GLAAD Media Award Nomination in the category of “Outstanding Print Article” for their feature “Stop Bad Hair and Uglier Legislation (The New Classics)” in the Summer 2023 Issue.
Sponsored by Marchon
