When Brunello Cucinelli steps up to accept the John B. Fairchild Honor at the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit on Oct. 29, he’ll be in good company.
Tory Burch, Todd Snyder and Abercrombie Fitch & Co.’s Fran Horowitz will also be on hand accepting WWD Honors, alongside representatives of some of the hottest companies and brands across the fashion industry.
The WWD Honors ceremony will be held at Cipriani South Street, capping off Day One of the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit.
The summit’s theme — The Power of Resilience — speaks to the precariousness of the times after a tough year for fashion and retail, which have been chasing lightning-quick consumers and technological change in a tricky economy.
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But resilience also speaks to one of the key attributes of this year’s honorees.
- Fran Horowitz, chief executive officer of Abercrombie, will receive the Edward Nardoza Honor for CEO Creative Leadership, recognizing her success in turning the mall staple into a poster child for modern retail.
- Tory Burch will be named WWD’s womenswear designer of the year — one more thing to celebrate after her brand marked 20 years in business in February.
- Todd Snyder, who is due to return to New York Fashion Week this coming season, will pick up the honor for menswear designer of the year.
WWD’s editors will also recognize standout performances from companies across the industry, drawing on corporate developments over the past year, brand heat, industry feedback and, when available, empirical data and financial metrics, such as sales and profit gains.
This year’s honorees include:
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co.: Company of the Year, Public
- Doên: Company of the Year, Private
- E.l.f. Beauty: Beauty Company of the Year, Public
- Bubble Skincare: Beauty Company of the Year, Private
- Bulgari: Watch Brand of the Year
- Boucheron: Jewelry Brand of the Year
This is the first year WWD has awarded Honors to watch and jewelry brands.
While celebrating the accomplishments of the year gone by, WWD is also looking ahead and giving the One-to-Watch Honor to Naiomi Glasses, artist in residence at Polo Ralph Lauren.
The TikTok skateboarder is a seventh-generation Diné textile artist and weaver and Lauren’s first artist in residence. She is also at the forefront of a movement that’s put more Indigenous people front and center in popular culture.
“We as Indigenous people are having our big moment,” Glasses said. “I really hope that it’s not just a moment, but something that continues and we can just become mainstays as part of the bigger world.”
At the CEO Summit, fashion’s thinkers and leaders will explore how companies are steering toward a future that is more agile, sustainable and digital.
Many of the honorees will take part in the conversation, including: Gucci alum Marco Bizzarri, cofounder and president of Forel; Brian Cornell, chair and CEO of Target Corp.; Richard Dickson, president and CEO of Gap Inc.; Tracy Reese, founder and creative director of Hope for Flowers; Mimi Plange, cofounder and creative director of Mimi Plange, and Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Neiman Marcus Group.
More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
