A LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN: When Tom Ford accepted the post of chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers last year, he knew it was a big job through which he would have to address complicated issues. He could have had no idea just how big and how complicated.
On Monday afternoon, Ford sent a letter to the CFDA membership in which he addressed the coronavirus impact of the industry. “The challenges we are experiencing truly are unprecedented.” Ford wrote. He said that part of the CFDA’s mission now is to provide information and support “to ensure that as many businesses survive this pandemic as possible.”
Ford noted that A Common Thread, the CFDA-Vogue fundraising effort to benefit businesses impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown, has raised $4.2 million — and has received a whopping 1,000-plus applications for those funds. While he did not indicate in what amounts or to how many recipients the money will be allotted, he said that payments would commence later this month. “We know we cannot save everyone, but our hope is to help businesses survive the immediate and in turn be positioned for future survival,” he said.
Ford noted that as the economy begins to open up, companies will have
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