Esteemed judging panel selects Áwet New York and CELESTE SOL as dual first-place winners
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–FashWire, the addictively popular award-winning discovery and shopping ‘Tinder-esque’ marketplace platform, hosted its annual global FashPitch competition on October 5, 2023. After tallying the judges’ and audience votes, Kimberly Carney, CEO of The Wires, announced Áwet New York and CELESTE SOL in a tie for first place; the two companies will split the grand prize of $10,000 equally, and two runners up, Stivali and People Like Us will receive $500 each.
“The judging panel was impressed not only with the apparel and jewelry designs that Áwet New York and CELESTE SOL are creating, but also with their incredible missions,” said FashWire CEO and Founder Kimberly Carney. “The FashWire team is honored to be able to provide support to these two great companies as they continue to grow and make an impact on both the fashion industry and the world.”
Áwet Woldegebriel, a refugee from the east African nation Eritrea, founded Áwet New York in 2020. In addition to carefully crafted, thoughtfully sourced, luxury essentials that combine style and comfort for men and women, Áwet New York is invested in giving back. The brand has launched various initiatives to support the emergence and growth of other BIPOC brands, including creating the LIVEWEAR boutique and art gallery located at 57 Bond Street in Manhattan, that showcases a roster of ever-evolving BIPOC designers and creators.
Also garnering enough votes to clinch a first-place finish, Tiffany Joachim, Founder of CELESTE SOL, draws on her family history for inspiration. Her grandparents ran a fine jewelry import store in Puerto Rico over 60 years ago, and Tiffany has reinvented the family business for the modern woman. CELESTE SOL curates delicate gold-plated jewelry inspired by the same influences of fashion, travel and culture that inspired her grandparents. Every year, CELESTE SOL donates 2% of its profits to causes that support and empower women of color.
The judging panel for the 2023 FashPitch competition included Maryanne Grisz, President and CEO of Fashion Group International; Amanza Smith, Netflix’s Selling Sunset star and Designer; Cassell Ferere, PAGE Magazine and Forbes contributor; Merle Ginsberg, Fashion Expert and Style Writer for TheWrap.com, Los Angeles Magazine and Hollywood Reporter; Khary Simon, Creative Director and Strategist; Guia Golden, Creator Marketing Lead at Instagram; and Jarett Antoque, Fashion Director at Amazon. The competition was moderated by Coresight Research CEO and founder Deborah Weinswig.
“I absolutely love fashion, especially up and coming designers with a cool and unique story to tell. Áwet went from such challenging beginnings to an incredible success story, and Tiffany Joachim of CELESTE SOL uses her Puerto Rican roots to tell the most incredible fashion narrative through her jewelry,” said Netflix Selling Sunset star and designer Amanza Smith. “I am so honored to be a part of the pitching competition and to join Kimberly and the FashWire panel in judging the well-deserved winners.”
“Rising interest rates and economic uncertainty have made it difficult for startups and emerging brands in all industries to secure funding this year,” said Coresight Research CEO & founder Deborah Weinswig. “Competitions like FashPitch that provide companies with access to industry experts who can share knowledge and advice as well as a source of funding are critical to help keep innovation flowing.”
To learn more about FashWire and browse products from Áwet New York, CELESTE SOL and other incredible designers from around the world, download FashWire today on the App Store or on Google Play or visit www.fashwire.com.
About FashWire
FashWire’s global two-sided discovery and shopping marketplace provides its portfolio of designers and brands vital data into consumer shopping behavior patterns. Giving fashion designers real-time valuable insights through a seamless user experience makes FashWire the digital front runner in consumer business intelligence. For consumers, FashWire creates a compelling interactive experience by combining immersive Tinder-like swipe voting and social integration to influence the designer instantly. Through its market-leading app and web experience, FashWire customers can shop a curated edit of 30,000+ products, sourced from over 450 fashion designers and brands from 50+ countries. To learn more about FashWire, visit www.fashwire.com.
About The Wires
The Wires has two high-growth B2B2C platforms: FashWire and GlossWire. The company is redefining the way fashion and beauty brands interact with consumers by giving its customers a truly frictionless interactive experience through real-time digital engagement. Both platforms are B2B2C marketplaces with a mission to reframe the fashion and beauty industries by leveraging technology to provide consumers an opportunity to discover and shop worldwide fashion and beauty brands while delivering their partnering brands critical real-time feedback to convert customers, drive conversion and increase profitability. In December of 2023, the company is launching PawWire with the same compelling platform catering to the billion dollar pet care industry. The company is backed by a range of all-star private angel investors in the beauty, fashion, retail and tech spaces. To learn more about FashWire, visit www.fashwire.com or download the app on the App Store or Google Play Store. To learn more about GlossWire, visit www.glosswire.com, or download the app on the App Store or Google Play Store.
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