Accessories Council Announces 2025 Design Excellence Awards on Nov. 3rd

The Accessories Council (Ac) announced that the 7th Annual Design Excellence Awards will take place on November 3rd, 2025 in New York City. For a second year, the winners will be celebrated with a formal Awards event at luxe Manhattan destination The Fifth Avenue Hotel. Building on its history of honoring individuals and companies, The Ac launched the Design Excellence Awards in 2019 to expand the recognition of outstanding products. Entries are open now and will be accepted through August 29th.

"We look forward to welcoming submissions from both emerging and established talent for this year's Design Excellence Awards," said Karen Giberson, President & CEO, The Ac. "We encourage designers to be bold and creative, and to join us in this unique opportunity to earn a stamp of approval from respected industry leaders."

The Ac will award brands across categories including Handbags, Eyewear (Optical and Sun), Footwear, Jewelry (Fashion and Fine), Tech & Innovation, and more. Additionally, The Ac will select its prestigious Hall of Fame Award recipient of the year, which recognizes one single iconic product or brand that has stood the test of time as determined by the Ac Board.

After careful entry review and the close of the public voting period, the finalists of the 7th Annual Design Excellence Awards will be announced on September 9th. The complete list of categories is as follows:

Categories

Handbags: Over $1000 Retail

Handbags: Under $1000 Retail

Eyewear (Optical): Independent (1-2 brands)

Eyewear (Optical): Multi-Brand (3 or more brands)

Eyewear (Sun): Independent (1-2 brands)

Eyewear (Sun): Multi-Brand (3 or more brands)

Footwear: Over $250 (SRP)

Footwear: Under $250 (SRP)

Jewelry (Fashion): Under $100 (SRP)

Jewelry (Fashion): Over $100 (SRP)

Jewelry (Fine): Under $1000 (SRP)

Jewelry (Fine): Over $1000 (SRP)

General Accessories

Soft accessories, scarves, gloves, belts, hats, umbrellas

Tech & Innovation (Smart and other tech accessories, including luxury & fashion watches)

Social Impact

Charity, Diversity, Inclusion

Sustainability

Brand Collaboration

The Ac’s Design Excellence Award winners are representative of consumer tastes and trends that inform purchase power. Winning products will be voted on by the public from finalist pools selected by The Ac Board of Directors and press. Finalists will be chosen based on the criteria of excellence in design, unique appearance and/or function, consumer needs addressed by product, appropriate aesthetics, innovative materials or technology, market positioning and competitive performance, social images, emotional appeal, and sustainability. It is this criterion in which consumers evaluate purchase and in which Design Excellence Award winners excel.

Design Excellence Award winning products are available for purchase in the U.S. via retail stores, e-commerce, TV retail, or direct marketing between September 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. The Ac provides category finalists and winners with promotional tools for use at the wholesale and retail levels to market their products to consumers.

Sponsors of the 2025 Design Excellence Awards include Caleres, Circana, and Marchon Eyewear. Each of the winners will receive a trophy designed by Marchon Eyewear.

For more information on categories, finalists, and the Awards event, please visit 2025 Design Excellence Awards.

Follow The Ac on Instagram @AccessoriesCouncil and X @AccessoryNews

ABOUT THE Ac

The Ac is a not-for-profit, international trade association established in 1994. The mission is to stimulate global consumer awareness and demand for fashion accessory products. Serving the industry globally which generates over $50.8 billion dollars annually in the United States alone. Over the past 30 years, membership has grown internationally to include over 360 companies and organizations, representing the world’s leading brand names, designers, retailers and associated providers for the accessories, jewelry, optical, and footwear industries. They also publish Ac Magazine, a digital shoppable publication and host educational seminars, social media events and networking events, including the Design Excellence Awards, and the esteemed black-tie ACE Awards Gala, an annual tribute to the leaders of the accessories industry.

Ac Magazine, was honored with a GLAAD Media Award Nomination in the category of “Outstanding Print Article” for their feature “Stop Bad Hair and Uglier Legislation (The New Classics)” in the Summer 2023 Issue.

The Summer 2025 Issue of Ac Magazine and the special Summer 2025 Jewelry Issue are available now.