The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) announced the 2018 American Image Awards Fashion Maverick honor will go to Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel, the founders of Mansur Gavriel. The design duo will be joining a group of honorees including, Person of the Year, Emanuel (Manny) Chirico, chairman and CEO of PVH Corp; Company of the Year, Camuto Group; Designer of the Year, Joseph Altuzarra and Retailer of the Year, Fred Segal.
Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Katie Couric will emcee the annual gala, taking place on April 16, 2018 at the historic 583 Park Avenue in New York City.
Recognized for its unique approach to retail, Mansur Gavriel launched its first sold out products mainly via Instagram. Founded in 2012 with just a bucket bag and a tote, Mansur Gavriel’s Italian-made accessories have since become iconic and allowed the brand to successfully expand into ready-to-wear last year, with more product categories to come.
“We are pleased to honor these individuals and organizations for their creativity, innovation and business leadership. Each honoree is disrupting the industry with keen imagination and the ability to inspire today’s consumers,” said Rick Helfenbein, President and CEO of AAFA. “We welcome Katie Couric as our host with great anticipation, helping to shine a well-deserved spotlight on each of their contributions to the industry.”
Katie Couric is an award-winning journalist, cancer advocate, documentary filmmaker and New York Times best-selling author of The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons From Extraordinary Lives. Known for reporting from the front lines of politics, entertainment, sports, philanthropy, the arts and business, Couric is an expert at sharing the unique stories of leaders and visionaries.
The AAFA American Image Awards honors those who have exemplified leadership, excellence and outstanding achievement in all sectors of the apparel and footwear industry, including education, design, manufacturing and retail. Through this event, AAFA brings together a unique cross-section of influencers to celebrate creativity while drawing attention to public policy impacts on fashion and design.
For the second year, AAFA is proud to partner with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Foundation as its beneficiary.
More information on the AAFA American Image Awards is available here.
