FWA will honor two industry innovators - one a "rising star" talent and the other a designer icon - with achievement awards during the event's closing gala fashion presentation and awards ceremony on March 23.

"Fashion Week runways are not only an opportunity to showcase new collections, they are also a global stage on which to publicly recognize and celebrate the contributions made by individual fashion innovators," said Beth Sobol, founder and executive producer of Fashion Week of the Americas.

Mary McFadden -- Lifetime Achievement Award

FWA will confer its prestigious Lifetime Achievement in Fashion Award on Mary McFadden, American design legend and international fashion innovator. McFadden becomes the first, non-Hispanic recipient of this tribute. Previous honorees include Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Ocimar Versolato. In conjunction with her award, McFadden will present her Fall 2002 collection to more than 500 international media, celebrities and VIPs.

McFadden was virtually born into textiles, spending her early, formative years on a cotton plantation near Memphis, Tennessee. Her formal education continued at the Traphagan School of Design, Ecole Lubec, Paris, The New School of Social Research and Columbia University. Highlights of her forty years in the fashion industry include Director of Public Relations for Christian Dior New York, editor of Vogue South Africa and head of her own design house since 1973.

World renown for the unique way her creations "float" on the body, McFadden's designs often take inspiration from her global travels and, in effect, transform the wearer into a moving sculpture of style. Her distinctive trademarks, the finely pleated gown and quilted jackets and coats, are striking for their luminous color palette.

In addition to her fashion designs, McFadden has created award-winning fabric and wallpaper lines for Kirk Brummel and a bed and bath collection for Westpoint Stevens. The Franklin Mint created her collection of jewelry, which she based on the designs of ancient civilizations.

McFadden's many career accolades include two Coty Awards, the Neiman Marcus Award of Excellence, the President's Fellow Award from the Rhode Island School of Design and induction into two Hall of Fames - the Coty Hall of Fame and the Best-Dressed List Hall of Fame.

Anand Jon -- International New Star Award

Less than four years after his debut collection, Indian-born and New York-based Anand Jon has captured the imitation of the international fashion glitterati and the headlines of the international journalistic literati. By doing so, the twentysomething designer has become, in essence, a prophet in the new wave of luxury, high-fashion apparel. FWA will recognize his meteoric rise and his revolutionary designs as the 2002 International New Star Award honoree.

Jon's designs reflect a unique fusion of exotica, art and technology - a transcendental, yet modern, approach to fashion. This approach is encapsulated by the designer's often-quoted philosophy: "I meditate at night and when I wake up, I check my e-mail."

Jon developed a passion for metals and fabrics under the tutelage of master artisans and his grandmother, whom he credits as one of the most influential women in his life. During his formative years, he was also deeply involved in yoga, which set a metaphysical, yet playful, flavor to all of his future creations.

Today, Jon often pays homage to his heritage, celebrating the source of his intellectual and creative impulses as well as his journey from the exotic shores of his motherland to the metropolitan synergy of New York City. A visual and tactile artisan of "functional luxury" (as coined by Women's Wear Daily), Jon's collections often incorporate geometric lines and shapes as underlying structural elements.

At 17, Jon left India on a scholarship to attend the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where he received his associate degree. He then moved to New York and earned a Bachelor's degree from Parson's School of Design. Upon graduation, he teamed up with his mother to launch his debut collection for Spring 1999 at the Council of Fashion Designer's 7th on Sixth Fashion Week. His high-profile client list boasts celebrities, royalty and socialites, including Nicky Hilton, Ananda Lewis, Princess Olivia de Bourbon, Queen Noor of Jordan, Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka, Rudy Guiliani, James Gandolfini, Ben Stiller, Lynn Whittfield, Gloria Estefan, Mya and Mary J. Blige, among others.

FWA will take place March 19 - 23, 2002, in fashion tents erected on the sand behind the Roney Palace Beach Resort, 2399 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. A limited number of tickets to all FWA fashion shows and events are available to the public. Tickets are $10 for each fashion show and $75 for the closing show, Awards presentation and after party at Level. Tickets and an FWA schedule are both available online at www.FashionWeekAmericas.com.

Launched in 1999, Fashion Week of the Americas was created to provide a forum offering international exposure specifically for designers from Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded by Sobol Fashion Productions, Inc., FWA has quickly grown to become one of the most respected fashion events in the world and the largest showcase of Latin American and Caribbean design talent in the U.S.