Flirt Boutique receives prestigious Trailblazer Award in North America competition

The 2019 Best of Intima Awards recognize North America's best independent lingerie, swimwear and loungewear retailers, and are the most prestigious of the lingerie industry.

On Sunday, Aug. 4, Michelle Ricciardi, owner of Flirt Boutique, 56 Main Street, was one of three recipients in North America to receive the Trailblazer's Award at a gala held at New York City's elegant Tribeca Rooftop.

Kerry O'Brien, designer and founder of the Commando brand collection, presented Ricciardi with the award, which recognizes, "Stores who display innovative ideas and bring a new approach to the retail business."

Ricciardi described Flirt Boutique as a conscious lingerie store, committed to making a difference in the world, one woman at a time.

"Michelle has created a destination for intimate apparel in Warwick, New York," said O'Brien. "She takes product education very seriously, and has become an expert in fit and fabrication, passing her knowledge onto customers. She is always asking questions and staying abreast of innovations and advancements in our industry."

Ricciardi was also acknowledged at the awards ceremony for her charitable work. This past June, for example, Flirt Boutique partnered with The Bra Recyclers in Gilbert, Arizona. The organization specialize in recycling bras to decrease the number of bras entering landfills, while providing substantial social benefits to women and girls escaping domestic violence, human trafficking as well as breast cancer survivors without the necessary insurance.

Flirt Boutique implemented a local bra drive where 65 gently used bras to the boutique. Flirt matched this collection with 65 brand new bras, with a total contribution of 130 bras to the Bra Recyclers.

Afterwards, the bras were properly allocated to women around the globe in need

."Our community and store banded together," said Ricciardi, "and the bra drive enabled us to partake in a global sisterhood of women helping women. At the end of the day, this is our goal. We have a social responsibility to help women in need."

- Roger Gavan