Young designer honored with Humanitarian of the Year at NYFW

Heike Brené Wins Humanitarian of the Year Award During New York Fashion Week

Manhattan, New York – February 9, 2024

Heike Brené of Heike & Liz was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award at The Beauty It's Everywhere Awards Show during New York Fashion Week. The recognition highlights Heike's significant contributions to inclusion within the fashion industry, particularly her support of designers who experience life on the autism spectrum and her commitment to supporting local artisans.

For this honored collection, Heike collaborated with Axel Minguez from "Axel, Can Do It!" bringing together her clothing designs with Axel's graphic design expertise. The resulting garments showcased a unique fusion of fashion and visual artistry that captured the attention of industry professionals and audiences alike.

The collection was modeled by beauty queens from around the world, adding an international dimension to the showcase and emphasizing the global reach of inclusive fashion design.

In accepting the award, Heike expressed her heartfelt gratitude to those who made her success possible. She thanked her family, friends, and models for their unwavering support, as well as her collaborator Axel Minguez for bringing creative vision to life through their partnership.

Special recognition was given to Kriston Thurston for sponsoring the award and René Bionat, producer of Beauty It's Everywhere, for providing the platform and opportunity that led to this honor.

TThe Humanitarian of the Year award represents not only recognition of Heike's creative talents but also acknowledgment of her commitment to making the fashion industry more inclusive and supportive of diverse voices and abilities.