The Accessories Council hosted the 2025 ACE Awards at the Pierre Hotel in New York City on Tuesday, gathering the accessories community to celebrate the industry with a range of recognitions, from honoring Betsey Johnson with the inaugural Iconoclast Award to inducting diversity and inclusivity trailblazer Bethann Hardison into the Hall of Fame.

Laverne Cox was on hand to present Johnson with the Iconoclast Award, offering a rousing speech during which baskets of the designer’s baguette purses were passed out.

“For decades, Betsey has created clothes that don’t whisper — they twirl, they shout, they cartwheel. And in doing so, she gave so many of us permission to take up space. To be loud, to be joyful,” Cox said. “Long before fashion caught up to queerness, Betsey had already built a runway for it. She understood what it meant to stand outside the lines and turn that feeling into something sacred.”

Cox, sporting a Betsey Johnson ensemble featuring a functional bedazzled phone purse from the brand, told WWD on the red carpet that she is inspired by the designer’s sense of whimsy. “I grew up studying classical ballet, and so I grew up loving tutus and just being obsessed with them,” she said. “And when I started dressing myself and going to thrift stores, I was rocking a lot of tutus, and then I discovered Betsey and that’s a staple in her oeuvre. And the sense of whimsy and color and just being unconventional and not following trends, just knowing who you are.”

Hardison, known as a trailblazing Black model who fought for greater racial representation in the fashion industry, as chronicled in the documentary “Invisible Beauty,” was welcomed into the Hall of Fame. Her longtime friend Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the CFDA, presented her with the honor, recalling on the red carpet and onstage how she eschewed a friend-to-friend phone call and wrote him a formal letter to address the lack of diversity in modeling, an act that underscored the gravitas of her mission.

“It’s an honor to present the Hall of Fame of award to someone who hasn’t just shaped fashion, she’s changed it,” Kolb said on stage. “Bethann Hardison is a true force, from her groundbreaking work as one of the first Black models to her tireless advocacy for diversity and inclusion, Bethann has never followed the industry, she’s led it — fearlessly and unapologetically.”

Hardison said in her acceptance speech, “There’s a great alignment for me: being brave and having fear. Sometimes the things I do are very fearful, but I’m brave enough to do it, and that’s very important.”

Jaden Smith took the stage to give New Balance, a brand he’s partnered with since 2019, the Innovation Award. Fresh off of wearing an unreleased version of the 1906L, a sneaker-loafer, to the Met Gala, Smith said, “We all know New Balance for their iconic sneakers, but what makes them award-worthy isn’t just the style or the shoe — it’s how they’re innovating for everyone by merging fashion, sport and design. And how they’re driven by their entrepreneurial spirit while always striving to stay true to who they are. In a world that moves fast, New Balance moves with purpose, and because of that, they’ve not only elevated fashion, but lifted the entire industry.”

Coach CEO and president Todd Kahn presented the Designer of the Year award to Reed Krakoff, who formerly held his positions at Coach in addition to working at Tiffany & Co., launching is own label and now serving as creative director at John Hardy.

Reflecting on his career, Krakoff said, “It’s really an incredible gift I’ve been given to be part of this industry for 30 years now. And it’s something that, at the end of all this, you really see that it is about not just the people on your team, but the people you encounter and the people you develop relationships with over the years.”

Mark Consuelos presented the Brand Collaboration award to Stuart Weitzman, recalling his journey from repeatedly seeing the brand name on his credit card statements thanks to his wife Kelly Ripa to becoming the first men’s ambassador for the luxury label.

Several brands celebrating milestones were recognized as Legacy honorees. Professional golfer Paris Hilinski, who honored Oakley for the brand’s 50th anniversary, told WWD, “Oakley, to me, has been the most supportive brand I think I’ve ever worked with. They’ve really been supportive of me kind of taking a different path than the traditional professional golfer, and they really embrace who I am as a person, and I love that.”

At other points in the night, Jon Zeiders accepted the Emerging Designer award for Staud, Debbi Hartley-Triesch accepted the Merchant of the Year award for Nordstrom and Laura Lendrum accepted the Retail Innovation award for Printemps. Additional Legacy honorees included Patricia Nash, Jennifer Fisher, Rebecca Minkoff, Tom Ford Eyewear, Farylrobin, VSP Vision and Bulova.