Lonnie Kane, co-owner of the Los Angeles label Karen Kane Inc. and chairman of the California Fashion Association, received the Icon Award at the second annual Southern California Apparel Awards.

“An icon is someone who has been around the industry and gained the respect of the industry,” said Ilse Metchek, CFA president and last year’s winner of the Icon Award. “The CFA would not have been here for 20 years if it hadn’t been for our chairman, Lonnie Kane.”

Kane, who, with his wife, Karen, founded the company in 1979, praised his wife as the creative spirit of Karen Kane Inc. In reflecting on his more than 40 years in the apparel business, Kane said, “I spent the last 36 with my wife, Karen, doing what we love. We are fortunate to have this industry to do our trade in.”

Other winners included MAGIC, which received the Impact Award; Frame Denim, which received the Trend Setter Award; California Supply, which received the Supplier of the Year Award; Bed Stu, which received the Rising Brand of the Year Award; Buchalter Nemer’s Jeffrey Kapor, who received the Service Provider of the Year Award; and Michael Stars, which received the Social Responsibility Award. Guess? Inc. was named the Public Company of the Year, and KWDZ Inc. was named Private Company of the Year.

Metchek presented KWDZ Inc. owner Vera Campbell with her award, describing her as “inch for inch and pound for pound the best manufacturer in the room.”

In accepting the award, Campbell said, “I have been doing this for 30-plus years. It’s well worth the hard work and effort. It’s a changing industry; every day is a new day with a new challenge to solve.”

Hosted by the Los Angeles Business Journal, the Apparel Awards were held on Dec. 8 at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Sponsors included Buchalter Nemer, Intrepid Investment Bankers, Moss Adams LLP, the CFA, Marcum LLP and SkinTone Clothing.

Matt Toledo, publisher and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Business Journal, said he was pleased to “recognize such an important part of our economy and business community.”

“All of us in this room are optimists—we all see the possible,” he said. “Be grateful for the impact you have on your family, your business and your community.”