Ebony Fashion Fair: Decades of fashion, cancels fall shows

September 2, 11:04 PMSouth LA Fashion ExaminerVernita Washington

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                   Photo credit:  Ebony Fashion Fair

For decades a fashion extravaganza fascinated attendees with elegant designer fashions, raised money for charity as well as made history in the fashion world. The fashion with a purpose event is not the anticipated shows in New York or Paris, but the incomparable Ebony Fashion Fair. What would have been the kick off of their fall season this month; the Ebony Fashion Fair show is on hiatus.

“In light of the overall economic challenges that are affecting many, including our potential corporate sponsors, we have arrived at a most difficult decision to cancel Ebony Fashion Fair's fall 2009 season,” said Chairman and CEO, Linda Johnson Rice, of Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.

“In the coming months, we will develop a new business model to ensure that the show is a mutually beneficial endeavor. Our primary goal is to build Ebony Fashion Fair and our other brands in ways that will continue delivering meaningful insight and inspiration to the African-American community,” Rice said.

Known as the “worlds largest traveling fashion show,” Ebony Fashion Fair brought designer fashions to predominately African American audiences at hundreds of shows in the United States, the Caribbean, London and England.

Ebony Fashion Fair under the guidance of Producer-Director Mrs. Eunice Johnson, broke barriers in the world of fashion by – featuring African Americans as models, opening doors for African American designers, such as Kevan Hall and Tracy Reese, and not borrowing but purchasing creations from fashion legends, Yves St. Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Nina Ricci and Bill Blass to name a few.

However, it’s just not about fashions for Ebony Fashion Fair.  The show has raised over $55 million dollars for local charities and community organizations, including the United Negro College Fund, the Urban League, and the NAACP.

For more information on Ebony Fashion Fair, go to www.ebonyfashionfair.com.