(NNPA) – Organizers of the Ebony Fashion Fair have cancelled the annual fashion showcase this year due to the economic slowdown. Staged annually at venues across the country, the fashion show hopes to return in the fall of 2010.
The Ebony Fashion Fair show has raised over $55 million during its history to benefit various causes and African-American groups, according to Johnson Publishing chairman and CEO Linda Johnson Rice.
But a slow economy has caused many corporate sponsors and investors to withdraw from the successful showcase. “The overall economic climate has presented challenges for many, including our potential corporate sponsors,” said Rice in a statement.
To date, there have been over 4,000 shows performed in the U.S., Caribbean and London, according to a company representative. The featured clothing generally includes high-brow couture pieces from various international fashion weeks and “ready-to-wear” items from up-and-coming designers.
