In 2020, nothing played out the way we expected it to when we heralded in the new decade on January 1st. Rather, this was the year that changed everything with the onslaught of the novel coronavirus.

Looking back, the Covid-19 pandemic was already starting to make its mark on New York Fashion Week as the subject of much talk. At the end of Milan Fashion Week, Giorgio Armani made an important statement when he decided to show his collection without an audience. By Paris, this was a serious health crisis and while the show went on as planned, organizers offered masks and hand sanitizers to guests.

By mid-March, many New York offices closed and employees, including those at the CFDA, were asked to work from home. A full lockdown followed, triggering a severe economic downturn, and hitting the fashion industry hard from every angle.

CFDA and Vogue quickly pivoted, transforming the 2020 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund into the A Common Thread initiative to raise awareness and needed funds for those in the American fashion community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – with over $5 million going to designers, retailers and manufacturers to help them navigate this unprecedented time.

CFDA also provided designers with important information and business resources to help; and CFDA members from Kerby Jean-Raymond to Christian Siriano mobilized to help the frontline workers. And we did much more.

Ten months later, the pandemic still rages on and the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S. is rising at an alarming rate. The various, effective vaccines provide a glimmer of hope that by the end of this year, we may be back to a sense of normalcy. Here’s to that!