Giuseppe Zanotti named shoe designer of the year

Footwear News, an offshot of Women's Wear Daily, has announced the best in 2009's shoe design November 19. While Giuseppe Zanotti winning the main prize, Designer of the Year, seems perfectly legitimate, the choice of Steve Madden Ltd. as Company of the Year might come as a surprise to many, since the brand recently got mainly negative publicity concerning copyright issues.

Here is the complete list of this year's winners:

Designer of the Year - Giuseppe Zanotti

Company of the Year - Steve Madden Ltd.

Person of the Year - Tony Hsieh of Zappos.com

Retailer of the Year - Kohl's

E-tailer of the Year - Gilt Groupe

Marketer of the Year - Iconix Brand Group Inc.

Brand of the Year - Sam Edelman, Sperry Top-Sider

Launch of the Year - Skechers Shape-Ups, Tabitha Simmons, Florsheim by Duckie Brown

Vivian Infantino Emerging Talent - Alexandre Birman

All winners will receive their awards in a ceremony staged in New York December 1.

Site: wwd.com/footwear-news