Topline
Tom Ford has canceled its upcoming New York Fashion Week show because of problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to several reports, one of the latest live events to be called off as case counts remain high around the country.
Fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford is seen arriving to the 2021 CFDA Awards at The Grill Room … [+]
Key Facts
The Fall 2022 show, which was scheduled to close out New York Fashion Week in New York City on February 16, was canceled because of Covid-19 cases in Los Angeles, where the clothes are designed, and in Italy, where Ford’s factories are, resulting in the collection not being completed in time for the event, the Ford said in a statement to Vogue.
Ford said he was “incredibly disappointed” to have to call off the show.
Ford is one of the only designers so far to call off his fashion show, and most of the events will continue as planned starting February 11, with guests required to be vaccinated and masked to attend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Forbes has reached out to Tom Ford for comment.
Big Number
4,267,365. That’s how many Covid-19 cases have been reported in Italy in the last 28 days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The country has the fourth highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, behind the U.S., France and India. The seven-day average positivity rate in Los Angeles is 17.47%, though it has slowly declined over the last two weeks, according to county data.
Tangent
Ford’s departure from the festivities is especially striking because the designer is a chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which organizes New York Fashion Week.
Key Background
Ford isn’t the only creator having difficulty staging a live event as case counts remain high. The Critic’s Choice Awards, which were scheduled to take place on January 9, were moved to March. The Grammy Awards, which were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on January 31, have been moved to Las Vegas in April because of the omicron surge. Thursday, Adele canceled her Las Vegas residency only one day before it was set to premiere, saying “the show ain’t ready” because of delivery delays and Covid-19 cases among her crew.
Further Reading
2022 Grammy Awards Rescheduled To April 3 In Las Vegas (Forbes)
Tom Ford Cancels His Fall 2022 Runway Show at New York Fashion Week (Vogue)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/01/24/tom-ford-cancels-new-york-fashion-week-show-because-of-covid-19/