2013 Ceremonies

Hailed as the award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis has been called an industry titan, fashion doyenne, and the godmother of fashion. After two decades at the CFDA and IMG Fashion, Mallis is now president of her own international consulting firm. For the last 12 years, Mallis has hosted the acclaimed 92nd Street Y conversation series Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis. She is the author of the book series chronicling this series by Rizzoli, and sponsored by Nordstrom. As an inspirational public speaker, Mallis makes numerous regular appearances both here in the U.S. and abroad. Mallis is the recipient of numerous industry awards including the 2013 Fashion Industry Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pratt Institute and the Icon of Innovation Award from Fashion Group International in 2022. She was inducted into Business of Fashion’s BoF 500 Hall of Fame in 2014 and serves on the board of the FIT Foundation. Mallis was just awarded the “Legend in the Fight Against AIDS” award from DIFFA Dallas.

Dennis Basso began his fashion career as a furrier, but as he marks his company’s 30th anniversary this year, his brand has grown to include ready-to-wear, bridal, and faux-fur collections, and a fragrance. His designs have appeared on A-list clientele from Ivana Trump to Nicole Kidman to Eva Longoria, and his work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and W magazines. His 20 years with the home shopping channel QVC have made him a household name and brought his elegant outerwear and clothing to millions of women everywhere.

After studying Fashion Buying and Merchandising at FIT in the early 1970s, Basso worked for a furrier in the Garment District, and learned the business from the ground up. He began his own fur business in 1983 and within three months, his creations were being worn by celebrities and other influential women. In 1993, Basso began selling a successful line of faux-fur clothing and accessories on camera on QVC. In 2003, he opened his 3,000-square-foot flagship store on Madison Avenue, and in 2008 he launched his first full spring ready-to-wear collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Basso signed a licensing agreement with premier bridal merchandiser Kleinfeld in 2011, and launched his eponymous fragrance in late 2012.

Basso sits on the board of the Children’s Hearing Institute, which has recognized him for his humanitarian work, and he is a major supporter of Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT, and the Alzheimer’s Association, which named him Humanitarian Man of the Year in 2005.

Rebecca Minkoff is an award-winning designer of casual luxury handbags, footwear, apparel, and jewelry. Minkoff, who studied at FIT, is the founder and creative director of her own company, which she launched based on the world-wide popularity of her iconic “Morning After Bag,” designed in 2005. After four years of designing statement-making handbags and accessories with her trademark leathers, studs, and edgy hardware, Minkoff introduced her first ready-to-wear collection in 2009. Her company has expanded into a global lifestyle brand with a wide range of accessories and apparel, as well as men’s leather goods under the label Ben Minkoff. The brand is distributed in more than 900 stores internationally, and she opened her first free-standing boutique in March 2012, in Tokyo.

Today, Minkoff is an influential industry leader whose chic designs are worn by fashion-forward women as well as by celebrities such as Halle Berry, Keira Knightly, and Reese Witherspoon. In 2011, Minkoff won industry recognition with the Breakthrough Designer Award from the Accessories Council, and in 2012 she was named Marketer of the Year by Footwear News. The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) presented her with its designer of the year award this year. She is an active member of the CFDA and supports multiple philanthropies.