Italian industrialists should consider how much American designers like Jacobs, Anna Sui, Vera Wang and many others, including young designers, rely on them, von Furstenberg said. "If the dates get earlier and earlier and Italy cannot ship on time, it's going to be a problem. Everyone will not be able to go show in Paris," she said. "This is a global industry. We all depend on each other, but we have been pushed in and in and in."

That said, American designers may need to find alternative resources if Italian companies cannot ship on time, she said.

The CFDA president surmised that, in terms of scheduling, it would be better for Jacobs, who already shows his Louis Vuitton collection in Paris, to continue to show his signature women's and men's collections and his Marc by Marc Jacobs line in New York. While Jacobs complained about the show schedule this season in an interview with WWD, he traditionally has shown the second Monday of September for the last several seasons.

But his departure would ultimately be detrimental to American fashion, von Furstenberg said. "He represents so much in American fashion. It would be really horrible to lose him....I am ready to beg in front of his pavement."