Here's why next season's fashion week will look very different

(Image credit: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho)

While February's fashion month felt the effects of the coronavirus outbreak (many editors returned home early and some shows were cancelled), and all cruise shows have since been cancelled, we didn't think it would have an impact on the next round of fashion weeks a whole six months later.

However, it's already starting to look like they will take a different form, though they haven't been officially cancelled (for now).

Saint Laurent is the first label to officially step down from the Paris Fashion Week schedule, in order to present its new collections in a different way.

A statement on Instagram read, 'Saint Laurent has decided to take control of its pace and and reshape its schedule. Now more than ever, the brand will lead its own rhythm, legitimating the value of time and connecting with people globally by getting closer to them in their own space and lives.

'With this strategy firmly in place, Saint Laurent will not present its collections in any of the pre-set schedules of 2020. Saint Laurent will take ownership of its calendar and launch its collections following a plan conceived with an up-to-date perspective, driven by creativity.'

Haute Couture and Men's Fashion Weeks were also due to take place this summer, but will either go digital or merge with September Fashion Week, if it does still go ahead.

Another option is for all the shows to go digital only, though it'll be very different indeed.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.