As the coronavirus crisis escalates, an increasing number of organizers around the world
are compelled to scrap fashion fairs and other industry events. While Chic Shanghai was
postponed, Ispo Beijing was had to be called off altogether. The past few weeks has
witnessed a long list of events that have been postponed. Messe Frankfurt’s textile fairs
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Yarn Expo and Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles;
The Materials Shows in Boston and Portland, Berlin’s sourcing fair Asia Apparel Expo, are
all adding up to the list.
As the list of cancelled and shelved events continue to grow, several others have decided
to go virtual. The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Russia, Zero Waste Summit, and Girlboss
Rally in Los Angeles are some of the events that have decided to go virtual out of safety
concerns. Even as Giorgio Armani made a last-minute decision to stream his latest
collection at the last big day of Milan Fashion Week.
