The Accessories Council and the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM) joined for the third consecutive year to host the Next Generation Awards, a student competition and awards program sponsored by Nine West and InStyle that focuses on cultivating the marketing skills of tomorrow's fashion industry leaders. The event took place on May 15 at the Walter Reade Theater in Manhattan. A preview exhibition and reception was held prior to the awards ceremony. Accessories designer Carlos Falchi was the ceremony's featured guest speaker.

And the winners were...
Product - Little Secrets
Justine Venezia, Taryn O'Neill and Cynthia Diaz
Little Secrets is designed to improve the hearing of girls aged 4 to 14 who suffer from a hearing impairment and promote their self-esteem. The team created a device similar to a Behind-the-Ear hearing aid, but it will be more discreet and have a fashionable twist. The hearing aid they developed, called the Little Secrets Assister, includes a magnetic component to hold the hearing aid in place along with an interchangeable magnetic earring available in a variety of colors and shapes. Creating an online support community for young girls with hearing impairments is also part of the Little Secrets business plan.

Magazine - "Click"
Sandra Mariscal, Fabiola DeAbreu, Alyson Soboti and Kelly Ireland
Click is the "'tween source for accessory shopping." It will be the first "green" accessory shopping magazine for girls ages 8 to 14. Emphasizing personal acceptance and uniqueness, Click will be committed to making a lasting impression on each of its reader's lives.

Store - Glamorous Charmz
Dismary Duenas, Daniela Vitale, Debra Pasquale and Julieta Godinez
Glamorous Charmz's mission is to bring fashion accessories to life for each individual customer by offering 'tween girls the opportunity to create their own jewelry. Glamorous Charmz store will feature an interactive process where customers can design their own jewelry on a computer and then watch as it is assembled for them. The store is meant to be a fun destination with an environment that embraces each girl's creativity and allows her to express it individually or with a group of friends.

The Next Generation competition requires LIM seniors to create a professional-level marketing plan for the launch of a new accessories-related store, publication or product. The students developed their projects throughout the spring semester, while simultaneously working full-time as interns in the fashion industry, a required element of LIM's innovative hands-on curriculum.

This year 14 teams of 3-5 students each vied for cash awards of $2,000 in each category. Companies participating as benefactors for the awards were: Solstice Sunglass Boutique, InStyle and Le Sportsac.

Says LIM President Elizabeth S. Marcuse, "We are honored that the Accessories Council, Nine West, InStyle, Solstice, and LeSportsac chose to partner with us for this event. Our students will be tomorrow's innovators in fashion marketing and it is gratifying to see that the industry's leading companies recognize that. The Next Generation Awards competition gives LIM's seniors the opportunity to take everything they've learned over the course of their college careers and showcase their talents in front of the industry. The real-world orientation of this program exemplifies what an LIM education is all about. One day in the not-so-distant future these young women and men will be presenting marketing plans not in a classroom, but in a boardroom."

Representatives from Nine West, InStyle, LeSportsac, Solstice Sunglass Boutique and the Accessories Council were joined by a select group of fashion executives at LIM on the morning of May 14 to judge the entrants. The judges selected winners based combination of elements, including an oral presentation, visual presentation materials, logo and brand name development, as well as the students' demographic and economic research.

According to Accessories Council president Karen Giberson, "An important part of the Council's mission is to nurture future talent through fashion education initiatives. The Next Generation Awards are a great opportunity for us to encourage emerging talent on the business side of the fashion business, which is crucial for the industry's continued growth and success."