Flagship Wins 2026 Hilldun Business Innovation Award at FGI Rising Star Awards

NEW YORK--( BUSINESS WIRE)--Flagship, the AI-powered inventory planning and forecasting platform for retail brands, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Hilldun Business Innovation Award, presented by Hilldun Corporation at Fashion Group International’s 30th Annual Rising Star Awards luncheon on April 16, 2026, at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.

Given annually at the FGI Rising Star Awards, the Hilldun Business Innovation Award recognizes companies driving meaningful innovation in the business of fashion. For 30 years, the Rising Star Awards have been one of the industry’s most respected platforms for recognizing emerging talent. Past honorees include Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Warby Parker, Rent the Runway, Thom Browne, and Brandon Maxwell. Flagship was nominated by Jayne Harkness.

Wassner spoke directly with multiple Flagship customers during the selection process, asking a direct question: could these teams replicate what they do in Flagship using ChatGPT or Claude? The answer was consistently no. Inventory is often the largest asset on a retail brand’s balance sheet, and planning it well requires domain specificity that general-purpose AI cannot reliably provide.

“When I spoke with Flagship’s customers, what struck me was not just their enthusiasm — it was their specificity. They could point to real results and explain exactly why the platform works in ways nothing else does. That kind of market validation is what we look for,” said Gary Wassner, CEO of Hilldun Corporation.

Among the customers Wassner spoke with was Cody Vidinich, COO of Public Rec, a nearly four-year Flagship customer. “We’ve seen our inventory turn drop from over 40 weeks to around 20,” said Vidinich. “Planning a season used to take 10 days. We got it down to about four now with Flagship — and it’s more accurate.”

“We’re honored to be selected by Gary and the Hilldun Corporation,” said Justin Abrams, CEO and Co-Founder of Flagship. “The platforms that will generate real ROI in retail are not the ones that simply automate a process. They’re the ones where the nuances of the business are encoded into every layer. Inventory planning touches every part of a brand’s P&L. Getting it right is both an art and a science, and that is what Flagship is built for.”

About Flagship

Flagship is an AI-powered inventory planning and forecasting platform built for retail brands. Planning teams get clean data they can trust, SKU-level demand models, and a workflow built for the realities of retail — so brands make smarter buy decisions, reduce out of stocks, and turn inventory faster. Customers include Mack Weldon, Hill House Home, Bala Bangles, Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL), and more. Learn more at flagshiprtl.com.