NEW YORK—The Accessories Council is accepting applications for its 2019 Accessories Innovation Committee (AIC). The AIC program is a brand mentorship program which aims to help new and emerging talent in accessories innovation bolster their careers over a five-month period. This year, the program runs from Feb. 1 through June 30. Eyewear is among the accessory categories that the Accessories Council is considering this year. The program covers helpful topics including building a brand, design concepts, merchandising, sourcing, operations and production, market research, public relations, social media, sales, business development, and legal consulting.

The parameters for applying to the AIC are:

1. Applicants must be in business for under 5 years and are required to already have at least 6 months of established business or 1 year of equivalent professional experience with a very cohesive concept.
2. Applicants must enroll in membership to the Accessories Council once selected into the program.
3. All final applications must be submitted on or by Jan. 31, 2019. Applications will not be accepted after this deadline.
4. Applicants must be based in the U.S.

The Chairman of the Accessories Innovation Committee is Jay Lakhani, founder and designer of Deepa Gurnani. The other committee members are Florence Shin, co-founder of Covry Sunwear; Charlie Roberts, product director at Echo Design; Carrie Sporer, fashion and lifestyle consultant at CS Consulting; Freida Rothman, creative director of Freida Rothman; Kimberly Lai, founder and designer of JAUNT; Heather Hubbard, CEO and founder of MR.; Jonathan Meizler, founder and creative director of Title of Work; and Kate Falchi, founder and designer of Lovard.

The application deadline is Jan. 31, 2019, and applicants can email their submission to accessoriescouncil@accessoriescouncil.org. For more information, and to access the application, visit accessoriescouncil.org.