After a six-year hiatus, the renowned Neiman Marcus Award is back, but with a twist. While staying true to the award’s original focus of honoring the best of the best, the Neiman Marcus Awards has expanded into a platform with additional honors to showcase creative innovation in fashion and luxury.
This year marks the 85th anniversary of the prestigious Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion, which was presented to Brunello Cucinelli — a longtime partner of the luxury retailer. Alongside this legendary honor, Neiman Marcus has introduced two new recognitions: the Neiman Marcus Award for Creative Impact in the Field of Fashion and the Neiman Marcus Award for Innovation in the Field of Fashion.
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“The reimagined awards are an extension of NMG’s growth strategy to Revolutionize Luxury Experiences through our differentiated business model,” the company said in a statement. “The platform celebrates our brand partners who share an interest in our innovative approach to retail and purpose-driven commitment to creating impact.”
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Jonathan Anderson and Amina Muaddi with Cucinelli and Todorovich. Jonathan Daniel Pryce
Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe, received the first-ever Neiman Marcus Award for Creative Impact in the Field of Fashion, and accessories designer Amina Muaddi received the first Neiman Marcus Award for Innovation in the Field of Fashion. The retailer identified these honorees as “each dynamic forces in their own right,” and representative of the influence visionary leaders can have on the industry’s future.
Neiman Marcus will partner with these three award recipients “to conceptualize unique activations and immersive experiences, investing the full strength of its merchandising and brand marketing magic to maximize the program’s reach to the U.S. luxury customer.” To celebrate his award, Brunello Cucinelli will launch the limited-edition Icon Collection, including women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes and bags, which will be exclusively available at 10 Neiman Marcus stores and online in April 2023. The brand will release a second exclusive collection in the fall for Neiman Marcus customers.
A PASSIONATE VISION
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Chief Executive Officer, NMG, described the return of awards as a long-term vision and a passion that required asking how to “bring the awards back in the context of our mission to revolutionize luxury experiences?”
“What Carrie and Stanley established 85 years ago was born from a vision of uniting and celebrating designers on a global scale, and that mission remains the same in our reimagined platform today,” van Raemdonck explained. “We celebrate those who are Revolutionizing Luxury Experiences, using the full strength of Neiman Marcus’ merchandising and marketing magic to create a halo effect for all our partners and make life extraordinary for our American luxury customers.”
The platform sets itself apart from other recognition programs because it is about connecting those recognized with the American customer in a meaningful way. Regarding the halo effect, van Raemdonck said it allows stakeholders to offer the recipients access to merchants and marketing “to ultimately do something special for customers.” Each honoree’s unique brand expression will come to life through immersive experiences engaging customers in stores, online and through remote selling, as part of the retailer’s integrated approach.
AN EVENING TO REMEMBER
On Sunday in Paris, NMG celebrated the return of its annual Neiman Marcus Awards by gathering industry leaders and creative forces alongside past Award recipients and top Neiman Marcus customers, to recognize the three 2023 honorees: Brunello Cucinelli, Jonathan Anderson, and Amina Muaddi. More than 50 fashion brands were in the room, collectively reflecting nearly $200 billion in total revenues and employing nearly half-a-million people around the globe.
As van Raemdonck shared at the event, “Bringing together the beating heart of the luxury industry is an incredibly important component of how we reimagined the awards platform. Tonight, we come together, united by our passion for our customers, to celebrate visionaries in the field of fashion who Revolutionize Luxury Experiences.”
The event took place at La Suite Girafe, overlooking the Eiffel Tower and capping off the Fall 2023 season of Paris Fashion Week. Notable attendees included: Noah Cyrus who performed for guests, Ashley Park and Paul Forman from Emily in Paris who both wore Brunello Cucinelli collection; Sabrina Elba, Didi Han, Lori Harvey, Tina Kunakey, Olivia Palermo and more. Special guest Rosita Missoni celebrated her 50th anniversary of receiving the Distinguished Service Award.
“The 85-year history of the Neiman Marcus Awards is rich with legacy,” concluded van Raemdonck. “Missoni is an example of the iconic luxury houses that still have either the creative director in place or the family in place, whom we have maintained a relationship with throughout their brand’s journey and whose legacy continues to inspire customers today.”
Newly minted Distinguished Service honoree, Brunello Cucinelli, stated in his remarks that evening, “I greatly admire the 20 years of collaboration with Neiman Marcus, one of the highest expressions of fashion and luxury in the world, an icon of lifestyle and elegance. Thank you [Neiman Marcus] for this gift, because it pays tribute and honor to our Italy, to our Umbria region, to our Solomeo, and to all those human beings who, with their skilled hands, are able to design special things.”
Neiman Marcus stated its intent for this reimagined platform to become an annual recognition, teasing additional categories to be added in the future.