Mulberry, London

I had a quick scan at the new Mulberry store along Bond St. recently and I must say it was looking very exciting.  With its Golden balloons and Gold inflatable giant handbag in its windows I knew I had to grab my camera and swing by again.  Sadly, this evening, everything was looking just as I felt......deflated.  Ah well, bring on the next scheme I guess.

Hermes, London

I have found myself waiting until the last moment to publish this scheme here even though I photographed it a few weeks ago.  I am so undecided about what I think of it.  I want to love it, but I only really vaguely like it.  Although liking it has nothing to do with whether this scheme has any value of course and who actually cares whether I like it anyway.  Naturally the product is perfectly placed and we already know what incredible quality this product is.  However, I do feel that the use of the giant plastic bird doesn't quite communicate the quality of this brand?  Am I right?  Does this scream, shout or even whisper luxury to you? 

Hennes, London

I'm really enjoying what Hennes is doing right now.  Each store seems to have its own personality and this store in Knightsbridge is particularly great fun.  The suspended structures they have placed in this store (not shown here) are very much like the kind of thing one would could view at the Science museum just down the road.  OK, well maybe the feathered eyelashes are not quite right? Although for their target market it is probably just right, and the beehives a la Patsy (as in Edina and Patsy) are superb.  This brand clearly know their target audience and this line up of figures is particularly X-factor-esque rather than the usual perfectly polished groupings one can view at more expensive stores.  I have no doubt this will draw in the young females, and entertain their bored boyfriends with a flash of (albeit fibreglass) mannequin boob.  Job well done guys.

Mannakin, United Kingdom

Image Courtesy and Copyright Mannakin.com 

 As so many of you ask me for this kind of information here's a little heads up for you all.  If you have an event? maybe planning a pop up store?  just need some mannequins temporarily or cant make a huge investment?  You can do no worse than take a look at http://www.mannakin.com/  "At Mannakin you can hire or buy new or used mannequins in any kind of quantity. You can be assured of a huge selection of quality mannequins and fantastic customer service. With the biggest mannequin stock cupboard in the United Kingdom you will be able to find just what you are looking for." 

So, what are you waiting for?  Now there's no excuse for lack of Visual Merchandising in your store.  My favourites from this company definitely have to be in their incredible vintage section.

Image Courtesy and Copyright Mannakin.com



Splash, Dubai



Images Courtesy and Copyright Steve Scorer & Jensen Galiza

It must be really tough to produce a scheme in a country where Christmas is not only not celebrated but actually is just another, well Wednesday or Thursday and so on.  I'm not a huge fan of Christmas schemes per se myself anyway but with my Western sensibility and, well, Western conditioning, it just forms part of my annual events calender which I suppose I use to guide me through the year and of course it is the most lucrative event on the retailers calender. Anyway, enjoy this spectacle and this nod to the festive season from this value brand who really work hard to keep their own personality and do it very well too.  (They are also incredibly nice as well)         



Images Courtesy and Copyright Steven Scorer and Jensen Galiza



New Look, London

Would you buy a 20% off shirt just because you have seen it on TV?   No, neither would I.  And which TV?  Which channel?  Why isnt this mentioned?    Big brother informs me (very reliably) that this brand checks out this site. which of course is absolutely fine, so New Look if you are trying to sell  from a prime retail space on Oxford St, does anyone really want to feel that they are buying from a market stall particularly when your store as it was originally looked so good and aspirational?  I really want this brand to look good and while of course it is a value retailer (i.e. cheap stuff to you and I, but with great fashion) there is no excuse for such, dare I say it, for want of a better word, "failing" presentation and sales staff indifference.  Spend the money on presentation and staff development guys and encourage us in to your space.  Am just telling it like it is from the outside looking in.



Busy, Busy, Busy......just rushed off my feet.

 

Harrods, London

Reminiscent of the Musee Grevin in Paris, the Harrods creative team have created this stunning installation at their Knightsbridge store.  Following on from my previous entry a few hours ago, this scheme is quite superb.  OK, I'm not a fan of the Disney-esque element of this scheme and Peter Pan wouldn't have been my first choice personally, although these tableaux / narratives are so superbly produced it is almost entirely forgivable (however not completely).  The level of detail that has gone into this scheme is mind blowing as every tiny piece of it has clearly been thought through and delivered with military precision.  This is the kind of scheme people (whoever people are) would travel across the country or from around the world to come and view and then be mesmerised by the work these guys produce.  If you haven't seen this scheme get yourself over to Knightsbridge and have a look.  This is the visual aspect of what we do at its very best.

Harrods, London

If you haven't had the opportunity to view the Christmas scheme at Harrods, then here's a little snapshot for you.  I must say that I am rather wowed by the scheme that the creative team  have produced here.  The amount of detail is quite superb and on such a large scale, quite amazing.  These guys have clearly been worked hard to achieve what they have and the outcome is quite delicious and Uber glamorous.  These are examples of images of the side windows that the team have installed but I will publish the main scheme later on at midday, so, just watch this space.

Oliver Bonas, London

Image Courtesy and Copyright Shell Thomas

If you want to view one of the current trends in store windows right now, then you must have a look at Oliver Bonas.  Shell Thomas and her amazing laser cut cardboard work have been wonderfully utilised to create the seasonal scheme here.  Laser cut cardboard is clearly becoming big in schemes along side the use of Copper with some of the 'inovators' as we can see it all around town particularly at brands such as Pull and Bear and a few months ago at River Island too.  Here, Shell Thomas has created these Deer families based on the work of Sanna  Annuka and her work as illustrator of "Contemporary folk" to create this nod to Christmas.  If you don't know the work of Shell Thomas then you must check out her site.  Simultaneously gentle and talented you really couldn't do wrong using this incredible designer for your future schemes.  Remember, its all about the laser cut cardboard right now, and I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of it very soon and certainly more of the work of Shell Thomas too.  Check Shell out at  www.shellthomas.com   

Images Courtesy and Copyright Shell Thomas



MCM, London

I don't know much about this brand other than they have a site on Sloane st.  However, from a Visual Merchandising point of view, this kind of stuff just scares me.

Diesel, London

Image Courtesy and Copyright Diesel

The scheme currently at Diesel's Bond st. site must be absolutely the best I have ever seen from this company.  It was so incredibly interesting too, to see where these concepts have developed from, the various influences that were gleaned and  the process of idea generation gone through making this simply wonderful visually, yet maintaining a great sense of meaning.  With the gorgeous photography from Xevi Muntane and the ever talented Kyle Bean (you may remember him from his installation at Selfridges a few months ago) what a better way to end this year with this brand than on such an electric high?  The level of detail within this scheme is exceptional with its black vinyl cut out trees, mossy flooring, tiny cut out people dwarfed by the Inca-esque temple and comparatively giant cut out images from Muntane's photography hovering in the background, this really is Visual Merchandising porn at its very best - and not a bauble or piece of tinsel in site - relief.

Image Courtesy and Copyright Diesel



Image Courtesy and Copyright Diesel



Matches Fashion, London



Image Courtesy matchesfashion.com



If you haven't seen the latest and seasonal offering from Matches you really are in for a treat.  With 13 stores in total stretching from Wimbledon, Richmond, Notting Hill to Mayfair and Marylebone, these stores ooze everything a fabulous boutique should be.  Their current scheme uses these cut out White forms and high White gloss Mannequins creating a winter wonderland with a sense of depth around the product - no easy task in these small spaces.  There is no need for any detail in this scheme as our creative minds fill in the gaps and our eyes are focused on the product itself. We are teased just a little in our attempts to see the product beyond the immediate scheme and as we are naturally curious beings, we are simply drawn in to take a closer look - job well done I'd say. 



Image Courtesy matchesfashion.com



Aquascutum, London

It must be Christmas at Aquascutum.  After all, there is an advent calender display in their windows.  Its just so rocking this Christmas along this end of town, hey?  Would someone please wake me when the anaesthetic has worn off?