Ebony Fashion Fair Shuts Down Its Runway For 2009

After 51 years of dazzling runways across the globe, the Ebony Fashion Fair show has called it quits --- for now. Citing economic hardship and the lack of sponsors, Johnson Publishing CEO, Linda Johnson Rice has decided to cancel the fall 2009 shows.

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Annual Ebony Fashion Fair show is a victim of economy

By Naomi Nix
Inquirer Staff Writer

Mina Dia-Stevens recalls looking around the auditorium of an Ebony Fashion Fair show as a young adult and knowing that there were other African American fashionistas out there, from a cluster of giddy sorority college girls to a group of churchgoing women.

"They are exposing African Americans to world-renowned designers that they may not have known otherwise," said Dia-Stevens, who is an adjunct professor at Moore College of Art and Design and an associate professor at the Art Institute of Philadelphia.

And it's coming to an end, at least for now.

After more than 50 years of showcasing the highest caliber of fashion in the industry to mostly African American audiences, organizers of the traveling international fashion show have canceled its fall 2009 installment.

The Philadelphia Cultural Committee Inc., the nonprofit organization that has hosted the program annually in Philadelphia or New Jersey for 50 years, is among 180 organizations that will not put on a show this fall.

"The overall economic climate has presented challenges for many, including our potential corporate sponsors," said Linda Johnson Rice, the chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Publishing Co., in a statement.

The firm, which publishes Ebony and Jet magazines, hopes to bring back a retooled show starting in fall 2010.

"In the coming months, we will develop a new business model to ensure that the show is a mutually beneficial endeavor," said Rice.

As a nonprofit endeavor, the Ebony Fashion Fair show has raised more than $55 million to benefit largely African American groups nationwide, according to Jeanine Collins, a spokeswoman for Johnson Publishing.

The Philadelphia Cultural Committee uses part of its $15,000 to $20,000 in proceeds to give scholarships to college-bound high school students who are interested in the arts.

Each year it gives $1,000 to five or six students who are pursuing higher education in New Jersey, Philadelphia, or Delaware. The remaining money goes to local charities.

"If we do not have the Ebony Fashion Fair show, it's going to be a deterrent to giving scholarships," said Gwendolyn A. Faison, president of the Philadelphia Cultural Committee.

Faison said the committee is meeting to discuss alternative fund-raising.

Over 4,000 shows have been performed to date in the United States, the Caribbean, and London, according to a representative from the publishing company.

The featured clothing includes cutting-edge couture fresh off the runways of Fashion Week as well as ready-to-wear "extravagant" pieces, said Cheryl Washington, a fashion designer and an adjunct professor at Moore College of Art and Design.

"It is a multitude of talent from all over the world," she said.

The show has exhibited the work of several notable African American designers, including Stephen Burrows, James Daugherty, L'Amour, B. Michael, and Quinton de' Alexander.

It was started in 1956 to support the Women's Auxiliary of Flint-Goodrich Hospital in New Orleans by John Johnson, then publisher and CEO of Johnson Publishing.

But Dia-Stevens says the show is more than just a few models strutting the latest fashions on the runway.

"When you see the show, it's like a performance - it's ambience, it's atmosphere," she said. "It is more theatrical than it is anything."

Thinking of her 14-year-old daughter, Dia-Stevens hopes to keep her family's appreciation for fashion alive.

"It is a special event that I would definitely want to experience with my daughter," she said.

These are trying times for the Johnson Publishing Company. The economy has taken a toll on its crown jewel, Ebony magazine, which may result in the sale of the magazine, and now they are forced to shut down what is considered a rate of passage fpr African American women.

Is this the end of a legendary era? Will a part of African American culture be lost?

Will high profile Black models, such as Tyra Banks or Ebony Fashion Fair show alumnus, Pat Cleveland, step in to rescue the Ebony Fashion Fair show?

Stay tuned...

ARISE African Fashion Collective - Spring 2010

Earlier this month, the ARISE African Fashion Collective made its second New York Fashion Week appearance to present its Spring 2010 collection. The collective gives exposure to African designers that otherwise would get lost in the fray. This season, the collective introduced four designers: Lisa Folawiyo, Tiffany Amber, David Tlale and Eric Raisina. Here are some pieces that caught my eye.

Eric Gaskins Files for Bankruptcy

Crain's New York reports that Eric Gaskins, one of the few Black high-end fashion designers in the industry, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection:

Eric Gaskins, a New York-based designer who founded his eponymous couture line 22 years ago, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week. Under the corporate name MGB Squared Corp., Mr. Gaskins cited assets less than $50,000 and liabilities between $50,001 and $100,000.

He is seeking protection from fewer than 50 creditors including the IRS, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and New York State Department of Labor, which is threatening to padlock the company’s doors, according to Mr. Gaskins’ filing. The company’s showroom is based at 264 W. 40th St., near Eighth Avenue, within the Garment District.

Retailing at Saks Fifth Avenue and other upscale stores, the company creates high-end gowns and evening wear that have been worn by celebrities such as Tina Fey and Salma Hayek. The bankruptcy filing by Mr. Gaskins, who is black, is another blow against the black design community.

“There’s been a lot of attention in the past few years to [having] models of color walk the runways, but behind the scenes, there’s been an equal imbalance in the number of African-American designers,” said Susan Scafidi, intellectual property and fashion law professor at Fordham University School of Law. Losing another African-American designer will only widen the divide.

Eric Gaskins Collection
(Photos: EricGaskins.com)

This is but one of several setbacks Mr. Gaskins has had to endure throughout his career. Despite being under the tutelage of legendary couturier, Hubert de Givenchy, Mr. Gaskins had difficulty finding a job with major fashion houses he returned to the States. In a October 2001 interview with Vogue's editor-at-large (and friend/mentor in my head) Andre Leon Talley, he said that houses, such as Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta would not hire him, and recalls an incident when, on a job interview for Valentino, where he was told to go to the service elevator. Yes, they thought Mr. Gaskins, who was dressed in a tailored suit, was a delivery person.

It was then that he decided to start his own business, first designing men's bermuda shorts, which led to sleeveless linen shifts and later cocktail dresses for Barneys Co-op. The Eric Gaskins label has never been a household name like de la Renta or Kors, but Mr. Gaskins did have tremendous success with his trunk shows, showing his couture collection four times a year. His most recent show was in January at Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Beach. Unfortunately, in today's economic climate where luxury retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Saks are struggling, the decline has trickled down to the high-end designers they carry, like Mr. Gaskins.

Industry insiders are saying that chances of a comeback for the Eric Gaskins label are slim to none due to its size and lack of capital to restructure.