Inside The AAFA American Image Awards

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) celebrated 50 years of the AAFA American Image Awards last night at their annual gala at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. The evening honored fashion leaders from across the industry and was emceed by Alina Cho. This year’s event celebrated Fabletics as Company of the Year, accepted by Adam Goldenberg, Co-Founder and CEO; Zac Posen as Designer of the Year; Timberland as Fashion Maverick, accepted by Nina Flood, Global Brand President; Avery Dennison as Global Innovator, accepted by Bill Toney, Vice President, Advanced Technology, Solutions Group; Trailblazer co-recipients Josue Solano, CEO of BBC International and Seth Campbell, Corporate President of BBC International; AFIRM Group was honored as Eco-Steward of the Year, accepted by Nathaniel Sponsler, Director; and the Icon Award was presented to Ruben Toledo.

“The AAFA American Image Awards is a moment to reflect and invest in our future while honoring current stars of the industry,” AAFA President and CEO Steve Lamar tells The Daily. “The gala has become an iconic celebration of our industry’s finest leaders, companies, and vision, bringing together a unique cross-section of influencers to celebrate creativity while drawing attention to public policy impacts on fashion and design. We make sure to honor leadership, excellence, and outstanding achievement across design, manufacturing, and retail. In particular, this year, we take a breath from the seemingly endless challenges and distractions to remind ourselves of our wins. It is vital to do so, because what we can accomplish individually and collectively defines us as an industry and also has the power to bring about future accomplishments, inspiring so many who are on the journey with us.”

Steven Kolb, Adam Goldenberg, Bill Toney, Ruben Toledo, Alina Cho, Zac Posen, Nathaniel Sponsler, Seth Campbell, Josue Solano, Nina Flood, Meera Bhatia, and Stephen Lamar

“Tonight’s honorees represent the very best of what this industry can be; designers, executives, visionaries, and strategists, who honor the craft while having the courage to evolve it,” Alina Cho said.

Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA, the event’s charitable beneficiary, welcomed Katie Holmes, who was there to present the Designer of the Year honor to her longtime friend Zac Posen. “What a gift it is to be on this journey with all of you, to continue to extend that invitation, far and wide, and to push the boundaries of what is possible in American fashion,” Posen said.

Katie Holmes

Zac Posen and Molly Ringwald

Ruben Toledo and Alina Cho (Getty Images)

Artist Ruben Toledo, who has designed the the award statuette presented to each honoree for more than a decade was on hand to accept the Icon Award. Toldeo honored his late wife fashion designer Isabel Toledo, who passed in 2019. “To stand here tonight, receiving this… is overwhelming,” he said, “Because this was never mine. It was ours.” He continued, “And I carry her [Isabel] with me… in every line, every shape, every idea that still finds its way into the world.”

Notable guests included Jeffrey Banks, John Bartlett , Meera Bhatia (President and COO of Fabletics, Presenter), Sydney Brett, Jason Cameron, Chuks Collins, Maria Cornejo, Ken Downing, Nicole Fischelis, Emma Gage, Nick Graham, Stan Herman, Evan Hirsch, Elton Ilirjani Daniella Kallmeyer, Naeem Khan, Lisa Kulson, Bibhu Mohapatra, Ashlynn Park, Ujjwala Raut, Molly Ringwald, Martin Romero, Cynthia Rowley, Hal Rubenstein, McKinzie J. Scott, Kim Shui, Terry Singh, Peter Som, Stephanie Suberville, Andre Walker, and Timo Weiland.

Cynthia Rowley

Nathaniel Sponsler and Meredithe Kreis a

Why has this event endured for so many decades? “Community,” Lamar says. “As the American Apparel & Footwear Association, we align the fashion industry as a community. We bring together competitors and collaborators navigating different parts of our value chain. Through our events, meetings, advocacy, and indeed this gala, community is something we build — and something we practice and strengthen into a network of shared expectations: shared responsibility, shared accountability, and, most importantly, shared possibility. This year, we not only mark 50 years of this gala and 10 years of collaboration with the CFDA Foundation, we also reflected on momentous brand birthdays in the room. AAFA is a proud Supporting Partner of America250.org, a bipartisan organization charged by Congress to lead the 250th commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to amplify and celebrate America’s heritage as we lead up to the nation’s Semiquincentennial”

Adam Goldenberg

Bill Toney

Funds for the evening went to the CFDA Foundation, which has been reinvesting the money into programs that support emerging designers, expand scholarships and mentorship, and strengthen the future of American fashion. This year, one area of focus is the CFDA’s Local Production Fund. A pilot grant program, the Local Production Fund encourages American designers to start or increase their production in New York City by matching them with local manufacturers who have received credits to be used exclusively for production runs for participating designers, helping brands shift part of their production from outside New York City to local manufacturers. The Local Production Fund builds off the investment of innovative technology made through the FMI Grant Fund and is intended to bolster more use of that technology, as well as build stronger relationships between designers and manufacturers and create more consistent production for New York City manufacturers.