SCHMOOZING: MR AWARDS CELEBRATES AMERICAN EXCELLENCE IN MENSWEAR
The evening was hosted by MR Magazine’s Lizette Chin, Stu Nifoussi and Karen Alberg, and sponsored by the MRket and Project shows. In her introduction, Alberg pointed out that most of the award winners are the children or grandchildren of immigrants, particularly relevant in these politically turbulent times and proving that the American dream and values and work ethic make all things possible.
HBC’s Richard Baker presented the first award: a Lifetime Achievement honor to Joseph Abboud who has survived and prospered in numerous incarnations, most recently with Tailored Brands and a fabulous production facility in Massachusetts. Abboud spoke about his lifelong passion for menswear, his mentors, and how clothes have influenced his life.
Chris Donahue of Eton presented to Jason Smith and Michael Barkin of Trunk Club, an online direct sales concept now owned by Nordstrom that has changed the way men shop for clothes. Russ and Bob Mitchell presented the American Lifestyle award to Shep and Ian Murray, who created Vineyard Vines on a simple philosophy: “every day should feel this good.”
Tom Ott of Saks Fifth Avenue, accepting the award from Ferragamo’s Vincent Ottomanelli, gave tremendous credit to his Saks’ team for achieving Excellence in Luxury Retailing in this precarious business climate. Dana Katz, grandson of a Russian immigrant who spent 25 years peddling sheets and towels before he had the courage to open his own store, accepted the Excellence in Specialty Retailing Award from Ken Giddon of Rothmans and Anthony DiGirolamo of the Garage. The Global Brand of the Decade was presented to Calvin’s Klein’s Steve Shiffman from Macy’s soon-to-be CEO Jeff Gennette. Calvin Klein has been part of our lives for the past 50 years and is now an $8.2 billion global brand. Shiffman noted that he hopes to accept the award again ten years from now.
It was an evening of tremendous camaraderie and pride. Congrats to all the honorees and the wonderful companies that make up our menswear family.
Photos by Studios606.com