Brunello Cucinelli to receive Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion as retailer expands its famous awards ceremony

Roxanne Robinson

Опубликовано
30 нояб. 2022 г.

While many of the brands that hang from the tiny clothing racks and rest on the various displays in Neiman Marcus stores bear French fashion names, the Dallas-based retailer has always honored some of those French names who won the Neiman Marcus Award on its home turf. For the first time, the brand will take the ceremony on the road to Paris, where it will bestow Italian cashmere guru Brunello Cucinelli the 2023 Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion. Additionally, the brand will add a new Neiman Marcus Award for Creative Impact in the Field of Fashion, among others, and reframe the event as the NMG Awards. The event will return for the first time since 2016 and take place during Paris Fashion Week in March 2023, where the winner of the new yearly award will be named as long as a tribute to past winners, which includes a line-up of French fashion stars.

The additional award is a continuation of the brand's growth strategy to "revolutionize luxury experiences," according to a release. It gives a nod to partners who share a similar interest in NMG's retail innovation with a commitment to creating impact. Case in point, the brand has hosted several experience-rich novelty-laden pops up in the past year, such as the Barbie X Balmain activations, Prada Beach, and, in Cucinelli's case, a fully immersive experience created its on-site Muse of the West event at the RoadRunner Ranch in Texas.

"The NMG Awards are an embodiment of our relentless commitment to our brand partners, connecting them to our luxury customer in an entirely new way," said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, chief executive officer, NMG, in a release. "We are recognizing and celebrating with the fashion industry those inspiring our collective mind to shape the future of our field." 

As part of the program, Brunello Cucinelli designed the "Icon Collection," exclusive to Neiman Marcus, and bearing an "Exclusively Designed for Neiman Marcus" label, another first for the retail partnership that spans 20 years. The collection includes women's and men's ready-to-wear, shoes and bags and will be exclusively available at ten Neiman Marcus stores and online in April 2023.  

"Among Brunello's many contributions to our industry, he has made a particular impact through his elevated luxury lifestyle design that recognizes the luxury customer's desire for impeccably crafted, artfully made pieces. Our customers collect his designs like they are works of art; it's a testament to the superior design, quality, craftsmanship, and allure of his brand," said Lana Todorovich, president, and chief merchandising officer, Neiman Marcus, in a release.

Also expressing gratitude in the release was Cucinelli, the brand's executive chairman and creative director. "The prestigious acknowledgment I'm being awarded fills me with joy and makes me feel extraordinarily honored. It is not just a splendid gratification bestowed on the work of our fashion house but also an exceptional confirmation of the great appreciation the world nurtures for the value of high-quality craftsmanship of Made in Italy and for our way of living and working, what we here in Solomeo like to define as being 'in harmony with creation,' a living form of universal attraction." 

Brunello Cucinelli joins other luminaries in the field of fashion, such as Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Grace Kelly, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Carolina Herrera, Estée Lauder and Baccarat who also received the prestigious award from the American retailer in the past 85 years.