“This man is probably the most extraordinary man I’ve ever met,” Donna Karan gushed over Kenneth Cole onstage at the 2024 FN Achievement Awards. The legendary designer presented Cole with the Lifetime Achievement Award on Wednesday night in New York.

“You’ve been ahead of the curve your whole life, in every aspect of your life, in the way you create, collaborate and communicate to sheer perfection,” she continued. “You call, we come.”

Karan and Cole have worked together, not only in fashion, but through their philanthropic efforts through the years. In 2019, the two were honored as the Icon Award for Social Impact winners at the FN Achievement Awards for their mission to help support the country of Haiti.

But that’s just one of Cole’s many humanitarian and charitable works. For more than four decades, the designer has been committed to using his platform to support a range of social justice movements, including HIV/AIDS awareness, gun control, climate change and, most recently, ending mental health stigmas.

“I have always believed that fashion is more than how we present ourselves in the world, but also a vehicle to positively impact it, and a powerful and creative way to respectfully communicate our commonality as well as our differences,” he said while accepting the award. “My story is the story of an American designer slash Shoe Dog — (and I hate that term, but as they say, if the shoe fits) — who uses the platform he has to make the difference that he can. It has taught me today that this is absolutely not a dress rehearsal, and that what we stand for will always matter more than what we stand in.”

All the Moments You Didn’t See Inside the FNAA 2024 [PHOTOS]

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For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram. 

Rihanna is reflecting on what it means to return to the Footwear News Achievement Awards — but this time around, in support of her partner A$AP Rocky, who received the Collaboration of the Year award alongside Puma at the Dec. 4 awards show in New York City.

The fashion mogul attended the 2016 iteration of the event, often dubbed the “Shoe Oscars,” when she was fêted with the Shoe of the Year award for the Fenty Puma Creeper. Now that it’s A$AP’s turn to be honored, Rihanna was right by his side throughout the night — laughing with him, applauding him, and even joining him and the Puma team on stage.

On the red carpet at the FNAAs on Wednesday, Rihanna told Footwear News, “I always support Rocky. It’s not new for me to be here today, but I’m just so excited for him to have this achievement and have everyone revere him in the light that he deserves.”

Rihanna continued to laud A$AP, with whom she shares two young sons, saying, “He is such a creative and he creates all day, every day, in all different ways. He loves this. This is the thing that makes him so happy. The only thing that makes him happier than this is being a father. And to see him be honored for things that he truly loves — I’m excited to be here.”

A$AP Rocky certainly got creative when it came time to design with Puma, referring to his ideas as “audacious” in his acceptance speech. The rapper joined Puma in 2023 as creative director of the brand’s F1 line. In 2024, the partnership brought about multiple boundary-pushing shoe releases, including a 3D-printed version of the Mostro silhouette.

Rihanna appeared shocked when she was reminded her own FNAA win was nearly a decade ago. “Almost a decade — girl! You just aged me.”

Considering the achievement, the superstar recognized the significance of the moment and looked ahead to how her and A$AP’s children might view it in the future: “To be here by his side and see him win this it is a full circle moment. We’re excited, and I know our kids going to be proud one day when they think we’re not cool.”

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Have the Best Night at the 2024 Shoe Oscars PHOTOS

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The awards ceremony took place at Cipriani South Street on Dec. 4, in New York City and the biggest and most important names in the shoe industry were present to honor this year’s honorees which included Martha Stewart, A$AP Rocky, Kenneth Cole, New Balance and more.

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram.

There were some emotional moments from presenters, touching speeches from the honorees, the famous guest mingling and more fun surprises like Rihanna making her way to the stage. Take a look at some of the behind the scenes moments you may have missed and as the stars mingled and celebrated one another at FN’s annual event.

Susan Itzkowitz, Dave Powers and Tacey Powers were inducted into the FN Hall of Fame at the 2024 FNAAs on Wednesday night.

The three exceptional leaders took the stage to reflect on their storied careers and thank those who helped them on their path to hall of fame status in the footwear industry.

In 2004, Susan Itzkowitz partnered with Marc Fisher to launch a new shoe venture, which has grown into a powerful player in the fashion footwear business, encompassing 14 brands, including licensed collections for Calvin Klein, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Hunter and others. And as a longtime board member for Two Ten Footwear Foundation, she has spearheaded efforts to increase representation and opportunities for women in the industry.  

“I overcame barriers I hadn’t even known existed, such as becoming one of the first women to hold senior roles in several male dominated companies,” Itzkowitz said. “It wasn’t always easy, and honestly, some of the toughest challenges came from other women. But their ruthless approach to leadership taught me a powerful lesson: women in business wield extraordinary strength when they lead with a balance of power and kindness, and embrace collaboration.”

Dave Powers made news this year as he announced he’d step down as chief executive officer of Deckers Brands in August, capping off an incredible 12-year run with the company. He joined Deckers as president of direct-to-consumer in August 2012, rising through the ranks to become CEO in 2016. Under his tenure, Deckers experienced explosive growth, led by its Ugg and Hoka businesses. For its last fiscal year, the company scored $4.3 billion in sales.

“It’s a tough world these days, and we’re grateful to have this opportunity to be with you all tonight and celebrate all of you,” Dave Powers noted. “I also want you to know it’s not lost on me how surreal this is for me. I mean, I grew up in a small, blue-collar town in New Hampshire, which actually at one point, was known for its shoe industry… But, I will leave you with a few words that is a motto that we use a lot at Deckers which is, ‘Stay hungry, stay humble and be kind.’ And that formula works every day.”

And for Tacey Powers, she joined Nordstrom in 1981, starting on the sales floor and working her way up to the executive level, where she now serves as executive vice president and general merchandise manager for shoes. In addition to overseeing the retailer’s stores in the U.S., she also has been committed to mentorship and giving back to the industry as a board member for Two Ten Footwear Foundation and Footwear Retailers and Distributors of America.

“To the Nordstrom family: I am grateful to have been part of your organization for over 40 years,” Tacey Powers said. And to my Nordstrom team: I work with a group of amazing people who bring joy and their special talent to work every day. I believe we have some of the best merchants in the business… I feel truly best blessed to sit in one of the greatest seats in the industry, and I will never take that for granted.”

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram.

“Hi, Rihanna,” Tepper Itzler said as she accepted the Launch of the Year award on behalf of her mother Sneex founder Sara Blakely at the 2024 FNAAs on Wednesday night.

Indeed, the 8-year-old daughter of Blakely, who was joined on stage by Amy Griffin, stole the show at Cipriani South Street as the crowd of nearly 400 guests cheered her on during the speech.

“I’m accepting this award on behalf of my mom,” Itzler said. “She is in Dubai. I’m a little nervous because I have never given an acceptance speech before, but my mom always says, ‘With hard work, anything is possible.’ I think Sneex is amazing. As you can see, I’m wearing my mom’s Sneex from her closet right now.”

The adorable moment continued with some fun facts about Blakely. “Some things you all don’t know about my mom are, number one, that she’s a great back scratcher, number two, she makes amazing pancakes on Sunday, and number three, she makes great Sneex,” Itzler said.

This isn’t Blakely’s first time in the rodeo. The entrepreneur is most well known as the founder of the Spanx intimates’ brand, which launched in 2000 and was built it into a market leader valued at $1.2 billion as of 2021, when Blackstone acquired a majority stake.

Now, the entrepreneur is leveraging the power of online platforms to bolster her new Sneex luxury shoe brand, which began selling direct to consumer in August. And it’s certainly gained attention, landing on Oprah’s Favorite Things list for the holidays and garnering celebrity fans that include Gayle King, Jane Fonda, Reese Witherspoon and Hoda Kotb.

With Sneex, Blakely has introduced a new footwear silhouette she’s dubbed a “hy-heel” that merges an athletic sneaker with a stiletto. The collection — which is made in Spain with luxurious nappa leather and Italian mesh — so far consists of three styles retailing for $395 to $595.

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram.

Best Shoe Moments at the FNAA 2024

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JD Sports’ chief executive officer Régis Schultz gave a special shoutout to Nike when accepting the award for retailer of the year at the 2024 FNAAs on Wednesday evening.

“Nike is our number one partner in the world,” Schultz said, accepting the award that was presented by Jason Kirrer, Nike’s vice president of North America sales and marketplace.

Since entering the U.S. market in 2018 with the acquisition of Finish Line, the European retailer had made several efforts to leverage its relationships with key brands (like Nike) for North America-specific benefits. In August, JD said it had extended its retail partnership with Nike to offer the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers. With this expansion, JD’s U.S. customers were given access to select Nike member-only footwear and apparel when they opt to link their JD Status and Nike Membership accounts through the retailer’s website or mobile app. As of October, there were 5.1 million active members of the JD Status loyalty program in the U.S.

“Nike is a significant part of our business and a great brand partner,” John Hall, president and managing director of JD North America, told FN in an interview in November. “This was a way in which we could strengthen our partnership and increase our level of connectivity with our shared customers.”

Nike aside, JD takes pride in its broad assortment of footwear and apparel brands in its stores. Schultz was sure to to thank the retailer’s other key partners, many of whom were in the room that night, when accepting the award.

“I would like to thank the brands,” Schultz said. “We are a house of brands. We love brands. We want to serve you for the best purposes. We want to give you the access to our customers. That’s what we do for a living. We are passionate about giving the best experience to our customers [and being] the best translation of what you want to be for your customers.”

Schultz noted that JD Sports’ presence in the U.S is now at 2,500 stores, which includes 1,179 Hibbett stores that were added to its portfolio after its buzzy acquisition in July. He also said JD Sports will do $6 billion in sales in the U.S. in 2024.

“We will make more than $1 million profit and will invest most of this cash in new doors, in better propositions and in better stores,” Schultz said. “We love this industry and we are very proud to be here in the U.S. for you.”

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram. 

All the Photos From FN’s Portrait Studio at the FNAA 2024

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The 2024 awards ceremony, held in New York City on December 4th, brought together a diverse mix of celebrities and industry leaders. Notable honorees included Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden, who was named Person of the Year, and designer Kenneth Cole, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The event also recognized the achievements of A$AP Rocky, in partnership with Puma, for Collaboration of the Year, and celebrated the influence of rising style icon Angel Reese.

Other notable awards included Retailer of the Year, which was awarded to JD Sports, and the Emerging Talent Award, presented to Philéo Landowski. Skechers was also recognized for its social impact, receiving the Icon Award for Social Impact. The FNAA’s continue to showcase a wide range of accomplishments within the footwear industry, highlighting not only individual and corporate success but also significant contributions to society.

The 2024 FNAA was a vision of who’s who of Hollywood, fashion, and footwear. The star-studded list included Rihanna, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Martha Stewart. These portrait shots show a little of the magic of the evening.

Husband-and-wife duo Marina and Ricardo Larroudé, founders of their namesake women’s footwear company Larroudé, accepted the award for Brand of the Year at the 38th annual Footwear News Achievement Awards, held at Cipriani South Street in New York City on Dec. 4.

Larroudé was one of two recipients of the Brand of the Year award, with the other going to On. Larroudé has experienced a meteoric rise since its debut in 2020, when the company received the Launch of the Year award at the FNAAs. This year, model Emily DiDonato, an avowed Larroudé fan, was on hand to present the couple with their latest honor.

Taking the stage with her husband, Marina began her speech, “What an incredible honor to accept the Brand of the Year award alongside On Running. This is really major, and I cannot believe we have been in business for only four years and this is our second award.”

The fashion veteran went on to acknowledge the other talent in room and the impact they’ve had on her: “Congratulations to tonight’s honorees, Jesse [Itzler] and Tepper please tell Sara [Blakely] that I’m a huge fan of hers and her innovation and boldness is really inspiring. Martha Stewart, you are my forever icon. Edgardo [Osorio], I remember seeing your first collection…and I knew then that you were destined for greatness. And watching your success has been truly inspiring to me.”

Blakely received the Launch of the Year award for Sneex; Stewart was given the Icon Award; and Osorio of Aquazzura was the recipient of the Designer of the Year award.

Recalling the inception of Larroudé at the couple’s dining room table, Marina concluded her speech by expressing gratitude to her husband: “This would not be possible without the vision and drive and love and support of Ricardo, our CEO, who is my business partner, our CEO and my partner in life. I’m forever grateful to share this journey with you.”

Ricardo then made his own remarks, taking the opportunity to emphasize the importance of vertical integration, uplifting creative designers and taking care of employees. “From the moment we started, we vertically integrated the business,” he said. He mentioned they have two factories, with 200 people employed in Brazil, and stock options are offered to successful employees.

He continued, “We also welcome other designers to create for us. So today we have at our table [TKname], Jonathan Cohen who’s doing shoes for Markarian. And the idea is that we try to replicate what happened in the music industry. That albums and Virgin Records would create a place for these creatives to come together, do what they focus on and not have to worry about lawyers, marketing, distribution, cost, all of that. And they have a whole platform to take care of it.”

He neared the end of his speech with a call to action: “I want to celebrate that there’s a way to do things differently. Most startups in the fashion industry, they outsource the production. There is a way to do shoes yourself. Birkenstock does 100% of what they do in Germany, Prada has 20 factories that they manage. And if you do that, you can actually take care of the people that are actually doing the shoes for you. So if you want to be sustainable, if you want to think about ESG, take care of the people that are really making the shoes.”

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram.

FNAA 2024 Red Carpet Arrivals Photos, Live Updates

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Women’s sports had a colossal presence at the 2024 FN Achievement Awards, as Billie Jean King, Angel Reese and Gabby Thomas all took the stage through the course of the night. And while presenting the award for Person of the Year to Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden, the elder superstar had a message for the new generation of athletes in attendance.

“I’d like you to think not only about your own sport, but all sports, especially women’s. And I hope that you take your sport with you, that you truly, truly not just win and compete but start thinking in the terms of we instead of I and really tee it up for future generations,” King said. “I want you to think way beyond yourself, way beyond your sport. But even within your sport, I want you to think about how much you can give back while you’re in it and afterwards to really make a difference beyond just performing. But we are performers, we are educators, and I just want you to think about ‘we’ instead of ‘I.'”

King went on to tout Gulden’s emphasis on placing the “we” over the “I,” and Gulden himself said that the award should be for Team of the Year rather than Person of the Year because of all the people involved at Adidas.

Angel Reese took home the award for Style Influencer of the Year, while Gabby Thomas introduced New Balance CEO Joe Preston to accept the award for Company of the Year.

During her speech, Reese teased her first signature sneaker from Reebok to come in 2026. “I’m 22 years old, I’m still figuring life out, but this is just the beginning,” Reese said.

King also called out a lesser known fact in that Adidas made her the first female athlete to get a signature sneaker in 1971.

“I played this guy, I don’t know if you know, in ’73 and I got to wear these shoes,” King said, referencing her famous “Battle of the Sexes” match win against Robby Riggs. “So it’s pretty awesome, since 90 million people watched my shoes running around. I’m very indebted to Adidas for being the first to do that for women in sports.”

Jackie Joyner-Kersee was also in attendance as a guest of Adidas.

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram. 

About the Author:

Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.

It was a full circle, and emotional, moment for the couple as A$AP Rocky accepted the Collaboration of the Year Award with Puma — eight years after Rihanna stood on the FNAA stage to accept the Shoe of the Year award for her Puma Fenty Creeper.

Rihanna couldn’t have been a more supportive cheerleader during Rocky’s big night. She proudly brought his FN cover on stage when he asked the entire Puma team to join him for his big moment. And a few minutes earlier, she captured Rocky’s remarks on her cell phone from the audience. After the event wrapped, Rihanna and Rocky greeted the crowd, posing with Icon honoree Martha Stewart, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Kenneth Cole and many others.

Perhaps the night’s best photos came during the couple’s turn in FN’s portrait studio. Check out all the action from the big night at Footwearnews.com