marketplace - WWD.com

NOTESThe Big Two-FiveThis year’s Footwear News Achievement Awards mark a quarter-century of greatstyle, big success and the best stories in the business. BY MICHAEL ATMOREWe couldn’t have chosen a betteryear to celebrate our 25th.2011 saw the footwear industryfiring on all cylinders, fromhigh-end to low, designer toathletic and outdoor. At thequarter-century mark, the FNAAs celebrate abusiness that is more diverse and more importantto retail success than ever before. And as theyear comes to a close and stores across the globelaud the role shoes play on the selling floor, themarket has never been in a stronger position.The diversity is strikingly evident when you lookat this year’s winners. From the ground-breakingreinvention of HSN to the amazing launches ofmutual friends Rachel Zoe and Brian Atwood, thepowerful marketing of Adidas and the impressivecareers of Jim and Larry Tarica and Patricia Field,the winners’ circle is a heady brew of talent, perseveranceand business acumen.Our 25th anniversary also is marked by aspecial award for Kenneth Cole’s social activism,the success of Vince Camuto and Ugg, the artistryof Nicholas Kirkwood and the juggernaut that isSteve Madden. And this amazing year is cappedwith a salute to one of the industry’s biggest legends,Mr. Manolo Blahnik.ICON AWARD FOR SOCIAL IMPACT LikeManolo, Vince, Steve and others, Kenneth Coleis intrinsically linked with the FNAAs. It’s nosurprise, then, that Cole will receive the first IconAward for Social Impact for a career that has beenas much about giving back as it has been aboutselling product. Long before it was hip to marrycause-related marketing and merchandisingtechniques with traditional branding, Coledecided he wanted to speak for thosewho needed a voice in a powerful andattention-getting way.Manolo Blahnikpump from“Sex & the City”RETAILER OF THEYEAR Mindy Grossmanhas turned HSN —and the entire home-shopping category — on itsear as she defines and expands the parametersof the channel. Grossman and her talented teamare determined to reshape HSN into a modern,cutting-edge powerhouse that reaches beyondthe current demographic to engage the next generationof shoppers. Along the way, Grossman haskept shoes center stage.COMPANY OF THE YEAR Whenever anyoneasks me who is doing well in the business, SteveMadden’s name inevitably comes up. He andhis company have been incredibly proficient atchurning out trend-right product that connectswith a wide range of customers. This year, Maddenstarted to spend some of that hard-earnedequity, diversifying his company with smartacquisitions and high-wattage celebrity deals,showing that Madden is positioned for the longhaul with a wider platform and a far bigger reach.BRANDS OF THE YEAR Vince Camuto is anunstoppable force. He has created empires andturned Jessica Simpson into a major fashion star.Now Vince is the face of his own hot label. In a careerof firsts, he is on top of his game. Additionally,Ugg Australia is the brand that continues to defythe odds. For years, the cynics have said it will end.But it never does. In 2011, Ugg will reach the $1 billionmark by consistently growing its audience.DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Nicholas Kirkwoodhas been the “it” boy for a few years now, but in2011, the young designer started to lay down thetracks that will guide him in the next phase of hiscareer. With a new store in London, new collaborationsand a bigger team behind him, Kirkwoodis now ready to play on the global stage.MARKETER OF THE YEAR The athleticpowerhouses have plush marketing budgets withmultichannel reach. What they do with that poweris another story. The Adidas team has pushedthe messaging boundaries with attention-getting,well-crafted campaigns that are both memorableand effective.LAUNCHES OF THE YEAR Two great debuts,two great stories, two great talents and two greatfriends. In one of the most interesting fashiontwists, Rachel Zoe and Brian Atwood both set thebusiness on fire this year with excellent launchcollections. B Brian Atwood added momentumto Mr. Atwood’s designer credibility, while Ms.Zoe made the delicate leap from TV star and überstylist to full-fledged designer. What’s fascinatingfor those who know them is that the two havealways been each other’s biggest supporters. Thisis truly a case of friends sharing in success.INDEPENDENT RETAILER OF THE YEARRon White is a force of nature. Young, energeticand tirelessly promotional, White has builtawareness the old-fashioned way: by forgingrelationships that allow him to transcend hissmall-store roots.VIVIAN INFANTINO EMERGING TALENTYou may not have heard of Burak Uyan yet, butthat will soon change. Mr. Uyan’s creative talentshave been known to fashion insiders for a whilenow. This year, he is ready for his closeup.HALL OF FAME It is impossible to sum up theachievements of Patricia Field and Jim and LarryTarica. A lifetime of creative and strategic empirebuilding has resulted in a legacy of great fashionand career-defining business moves. Field isresponsible for making shoes and shoe designersinto pop idols at a time when the business neededa dose of star-making machinery. The Taricashave turned their love of shoes into a career ofstewardship that includes great business success,amazing philanthropic reach and a reputation assome of the nicest executives ever.LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD It isfitting that Manolo Blahnik is the recipient ofFN’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. Not onlydoes his brand mark its 40th anniversary nextyear, but the designer is once again reminding theworld of his awe-inspiring talent. Of course, Mr.Blahnik’s legendary story includes a lifetime ofmajor moments, from the beginnings of the modernluxury era to the “Sex & the City” years andthe rise of the star designer. Every step of the wayManolo has stuck to his design guns, stayed trueto his brand vision and his own sense of aestheticsregardless of what was happening in the worldaround him. Pure genius.ILLUSTRATION: LARA TOMLIN. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DESIGNER4 | | NOVEMBER 28, 2011