Fashion Week 2020 Strutting Through the Pandemic

The show will go on for Fashion Weeks around the world this year despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The fashion industry’s fast paced style is working to its advantage this year as it quickly adapts to the needs of a socially conscious consumer base in Paris, London, New York, and even Dallas.

Industry leaders, who are known to be set in their ways, prove once again that they will not succumb to pressures from authority as the CFDA announces that New York Fashion Week will continue on a three-day reduced schedule from September 14th to the 16th.

Despite long standing traditions, fashion fans are seeing fresh developments in the ways they can access fashion week events. Traditionally, industry insiders have been the first to enjoy big-brand shows like Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs. This year however, many will be available to stream Fashion Week online. Meaning that for the first time ever, fans will have a chance to experience shows alongside industry insiders.

In Paris, Fashion Week 2020 will take place on September 28th. In an announcement leaked on Twitter by New York Times reporter Lizzie Paton, The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode said it will “comply for its implementation to the recommendations of public authority”. This means that the show will go on, though we can expect some major changes in the way it will be experienced.

London Fashion Week this year will be mostly available for fans to experience online. Burberry, who will be holding an outdoor show on September 17th announced that only models and staff will be physically present. However, the brand says that the events will be “available for all to experience digitally - opening new spaces to our global community as we reconnect with nature and each other”.  

Even on the local level, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the industry. Dallas Fashion Week, which has been around for over 5 years, was forced to adjust its events this season. Even so, the organization does plan to continue forward with outdoor events that will require enforcement of strict social distancing guidelines, and be open to a digital audience.

As an industry that is accustomed to putting its best foot forward, the world of fashion never stops turning, even when the globe is flipped upside down. Being simultaneously ever evolving and resistant to change, the fashion industry proves once again that it is uniquely positioned to set trends even during the CoronaVirus Outbreak.