AAFA Names Shinola Retailer of the Year

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The accolades keep rolling in for Detroit’s Shinola. When the luxury goods maker opened in 2011, many didn’t think that there was a market in Detroit and they faced criticisms of “who would buy a $550 watch?”

Not only have they succeeded, they’ve thrived hiring hundreds of Detroiters and have opened 12 company locations around the country.

Shinola has their corporate offices and a production facility located in the core of Detroit. It also has a retail store on Canfield and a new audio equipment production facility and cafe in the works on Selden.

Their latest award is from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA). The organization will honor the Detroit watch brand at its 2016 American Image Awards on 24 in New York City. The event will be emceed by Hal Rubenstein, the founding editor of InStyle Magazine.

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.

Other honorees include footwear company BBC International for company of the year, Christian Siriano for designer of the year, Iris Apfel as fashion maverick, and Joseph Abboud as person of the year.

According to their website, the AAFA represents more than 1,000 “world famous” name brands in the policy and political space, its management and shareholders, its four million U.S. workers, and its contribution of $361 billion in annual U.S. retail sales.

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