Next Level Apparel Wins Gold for Trade Show Exhibit Design

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Award-winning exhibit design: Next Level Apparel earned Gold in the 2026 Hermes Creative Awards for its immersive trade show booth concept.
• Experiential booths gain traction: Retail-inspired, hands-on trade show experiences continue gaining popularity among apparel and promotional products suppliers.
• Sustainability drives engagement: Modular booth construction and transparent sourcing messaging highlight the growing importance of sustainability across brand identity and product.

Next Level Apparel, a wholesaler of blank apparel, wins Gold in the 2026 Hermes Creative Awards for Trade Show / Exhibit Promotion, recognizing the brand’s reimagined trade show experience unveiled earlier this year.

The honor recognizes the company’s fully immersive, retail-inspired booth design, which puts product interaction at the center of the buyer journey. Created in partnership with DisplayIt, the open, barrier-free 40x40' island concept invites wholesale buyers, decorators, and industry professionals to engage directly with garments – comparing fabrics, exploring color stories, and moving through the space in a natural, intuitive way.

Sustainability Leads the Charge

Grounded in sustainability and modular design, the booth incorporates reusable, interchangeable components that minimize waste while allowing flexibility across shows. A prominent sustainability display highlights third-party certifications and supply chain transparency. By organizing collections by fabric type and prioritizing tactile engagement, the space delivers a clear, customer-centric experience that underscores Next Level Apparel’s commitment to quality, ethical manufacturing, and thoughtful, long-term design.

“Being recognized in the Hermes Creative Awards is an honor for our team and a reflection of the thinking behind this project,” Etienne Houseknecht, head of marketing for Next Level Apparel, said. “From the beginning, we set out to transform the traditional trade show experience by putting product first. We designed the booth to function like a retail environment – open, intuitive, and highly tactile – so buyers can engage directly with garments, compare fabrics side by side, and experience color, fit, and quality in a more natural way. Every decision, from the modular build to the sustainability-driven structure and transparent certification storytelling, was made to reflect a more thoughtful, product-driven approach to how apparel should be experienced.”

The Hermes Creative Awards, administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), recognize outstanding creative work across marketing and communications disciplines, celebrating excellence in concept, writing, and design across traditional and emerging media. This year’s competition attracted more than 6,000 entries across 29 countries.

Entries were evaluated by industry professionals, identifying work that exceeds standards of excellence and sets benchmarks for the field. Winners are selected across more than 200 categories spanning advertising, branding, integrated marketing, public relations, digital media, and pro bono work.

A full list of Platinum and Gold Winners is available on the Hermes Creative Awards website at hermesawards.com.