Organizers announced this week that the fall/winter 2020 runway shows — slated to begin March 26 — will be rescheduled in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
This week, the number of deaths reached 1,370 worldwide with more than 60,000 cases. At least 15 cases have been reported in the U.S.
Shanghai Fashion Week began more than 15 years ago. This season, New York Fashion Week ran Feb. 6-13 with London's taking place Feb. 14-18.
London Fashion Week is expected to welcome fewer Chinese reporters and buyers to the event than in years past, amid travel restrictions. "We will make every effort to ensure that the shows reach audiences that aren’t able to travel and are exploring additional partnerships to further increase reach,” said British Fashion Council chief executive Caroline Rush in a statement to Business of Fashion.
It will be followed by Milan Fashion Week from Feb. 18-24 and Paris Feb. 24 to March 3.
China Fashion Week, which started in 1997, holds its autumn/winter shows March 25-31 annually and has not announced any cancellation. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out for comment.
Runway shows are not the only fashion and beauty spectacles that faced a change of plans due to the outbreak. On Feb. 4, Swiss watch manufacturer the Swatch Group canceled its Time to Move event, which was set to take place in Zurich Feb. 28 to March 2, due to the potential spread of coronavirus.
"Considering the uncertainty related to the coronovirus outbreak, and in order to guarantee the welfare of our guests, partners, and colleagues, Swatch Group has decided not to hold the Time to Move event," a rep said in a statement. The brands decided to introduce their products regionally "at a later stage … in order to prevent their partners from traveling internationally in an insecure climate."
Makeup artist Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty, was planning to host a launch event of her skincare line Wishful on Feb. 4 at the London Hotel in Los Angeles. However, the brand announced on Jan. 30 that "it is with a heavy heart that we will no longer be hosting an event next week. Huda and her family have been advised not to travel from her home base in Dubai to L.A. due to the growing health risks associated with travel at the moment."
The press event has been rescheduled for Feb. 17 with the new product — Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub — debuting at Sephora on Feb. 16.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter by
