CFDA postpones Fashion Awards in response to coronavirus outbreak

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 19, 2020

The Council of Fashion Designers of America has decided to postpone the 2020 CFDA Fashion Awards, as a result of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. 

Originally scheduled for June 8 in the Celeste Bartos Forum of The New York Public Library, a new date for the event was not announced. 

"As coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact the globe, we want to update our members and the broader fashion community on the status of the annual CFDA Fashion Awards," the CFDA said, via a statement on its website. 

"After carefully reviewing the guidelines of federal and state governments, as well as public health agencies, CFDA Chairman, Tom Ford, and Steven Kolb, president and CEO, along with the full support of the board, have made the decision to postpone the 2020 CFDA Fashion Awards."

Designer nominations will also be postponed to a later date, the CFDA said. 

"The COVID-19 outbreak is bringing many challenges to fashion designers in both their personal lives and professional operations," the organization said.

"As an organization with a diverse membership conducting business globally, the CFDA is doing everything it can to help our designers through these difficult times in their businesses."

The upcoming CFDA Fashion Awards would have marked the first fashion awards to take place at the NYPL since 2008.  For the past two consecutive years, the event has taken place at the Brooklyn Museum, while in 2017 the awards ceremony was held inside The Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom. 

The 2020 award ceremony will include several new nominee and honoree categories, as well as new awards, including International Men’s Designer of the Year, Women’s Designer of the Year, Face of the Year, Brand of the Year, the Environmental Sustainability award and the Positive Social Influence award.

The CFDA said it will continue to monitor the ongoing outbreak, and will provide updates via email, at cfda.com and via its social media accounts.