Puma, London

We really enjoyed viewing this scheme at Puma along Carnaby St. recently.  These mannequins with their out sized billiards balls, we thought were great fun and certainly raised smile here in a cold London.  As an alternative to full headed, abstract or perhaps full wig and made up figures this offers a great concept for changing the look of expensive pieces of equipment without the massive outlay.  We, of course can also see the pyramid dynamic formed by the triangular wooden racks containing a whole variety of product offered by this brand.  Another cool scheme designed by Puma and produced by the guys at Harlequin-Design.com

Cofrad, Euroshop, Germany

Images Courtesy and Copyright Sarah Bailey

Following on from yesterdays entry with the work of ABC Italia, we also have the incredible work from Cofrad.  We visited their showroom in Paris recently and they are such nice people that we couldn't not include their name here.  Agents to the best in industry, Cofrad's wonderful installation using these white finished mannequins was quite spectacular.  If you happen to be in Paris, do pay them a visit and have a look at their enormous showroom too as it really is quite a spectacle and contains such a wide variety of groups of mannequin collections that we're sure you'll see something that you will love.

ABC Italia, Euroshop, Germany

Images Courtesy and Copyright Sarah Bailey

If you didnt get to Dusseldorf this week, here's some snippets for you.  We think ABC Italia stole the show this year with they dramatic mannequins accessories and wonderful poses.  Colourful and big wigs are becoming bigger again anyway on the high street although as we have seen around this event.  If you didnt manage to get a ticket, flight or hotel, here's some images for you to enjoy.  

Anthropologie, London

Everyone seems to be hanging their merchandise like this at the moment around town.   We're not quite sure that we like it, although we have seen it at Replay (please iron your merchandise first), French Connection (please hang your merchandise a little more accurately) and Harvey Nichols (superb of course).  Anyway, this does remind us of some pre-WWII northern Co-op shop and it is perhaps making the merchandise look rather less desirable.  However, it seems to be a key trend right now and we guess some one somewhere must like it.  Does it do it for you?

Guess, London

We are trying so hard to like what this brand does but we find ourselves really struggling.  The concept of their "Travelling Fair" sounds exciting and the video on the Guess website is beautifully produced and viewing it from a cold and wet London, looks so incredibly exotic and desirable.  The mood board also on their website looks considered, but with one image of an old fashioned Gypsy caravan and the words Arts and Crafts placed amongst scattered secondary fashion shots, one can only wonder where the joined up thinking is here?  Ultimately, how the concept has been translated into a scheme here is, well, just rather flat, non?  We understand the use of the stripes, lights and well, straw, but sadly this scheme at least for us is like looking through a holiday brochure full of wonderfully exciting places to see, only to find on arrival that it is still a construction site.  Why, also are nearly all the mannequins used here facing one direction?  Come on guys, lets get them facing the customer flow. In the meantime, whats with the question mark?  Maybe to keep us Guess-ing?  P.S. there is also one lamp blown out on the bottom right hand corner of the 'dot' on the question mark.

Selfridges, London

We love the show stopping scheme at Selfridges right now.  This scheme is based around the latest Bright young things with Selfridges having "scoured the UK to find the most creative and exciting new names in the worlds of fashion and art." "From jewellers and milliners to illustrators and set designers, Selfridges' Bright Young Things [have adorned] the windows with their latest collections alongside their contact details and logo".  We think this is a wonderful idea, if only other department stores would have the same kind of avant garde thinking as these guys and we could perhaps move everything else along in the world of retail rather than pull the ladder up behind us.

COS, London

Absolutely bang on trend, COS right now has mannequins with dipped legs in Blue.  We have seen a similar thing with the hair of celebrities around town which we actually really like.  However, while it was strangely wonderful that Visual Merchandising has caught up so soon we are also simultaneously rather pleased.  Do check out this brand right now who seem to have really gripped the Fashion bull by the horns and are bringing the cutting edge to the high street.  Of course, by the time the rest of the high street have caught on, it will have reached every local market and housing project in this city - such is the nature of the diffusion theory.  Still, thank you COS for leading the way here.

Nicole Farhi, London

Have you seen the latest scheme at Nicole Farhi?  This is one of our favourite quality brands right now particularly as they always do some many wonderfully creative things.  The structure here flows from these tiny windows threading its way through the interior of this commercial space drawing one from the outside in and beyond. We always enjoy the sculptural perspective that these guys employ which appear to be their USP.  Their particular strength is the informed process that they go through to create their outcomes.  Using Shlappi Mannequins too really is an art in itself which these guys just always get so right. 

New Collection, Panache Display, London

You may remember that we mentioned the launch of Jersey Girl from Panache last October with their gorgeous finishes, swan-like necks and wonderful size 8 figures.  This month Panache Display have launched their complementary male figure, Jersey Boys.  We recently bought some figures from this company ourselves so we know the quality of this stuff, which arrived perfectly finished and in good time for the job in hand.  What more could you ask for?  The Jersey Boy range are slim mannequins, sculptured and manufactured exclusively by Panache Display who offer this range which is both relaxed and stylised.  These gorgeous figures are supplied with glass base plates and with a foot or ankle rod with the standard finish in either Matt or of course in the high White gloss -  the likes of which we have seen used by all of the desirable luxury brands.  Naturally, with a company as creative as Panache, this is not the only finish offered and as usual the only limitation is your imagination.  Fabrics, finishes, colours, and combinations of both are limitless.  Do also check out their wonderful new West London showroom too if you have time.  The interior space is just like an artists studio oozing and buzzing with the creativity that only this company know how to produce.  Contact:  jo@panachedisplay.co.uk  for more details about Jersey Boy and their other collections.

Alexander McQueen, London

We were quite stunned viewing the spectacle at Alexander McQueen this week.  And these shoes..!  Wow, wow and wow.  We've spotted lots of Butterflies around at the moment both in Fashion and within Interiors, particularly at Dwell right now, so again they are making a huge statement within these innovative brands.  The Butterfly dress at the McQueen store is absolutely sensational and really worth a visit to view in person if you can.  It really does look like it is covered in actual Butterflies.  Behind it, of course we also have the strands of hanging  butterflies too, although again they all look so real.  These "strands" of stuff can be viewed all around town right now.  However, here at McQueen really is the show stopper.

Liberty, London

It was virtually impossible not to stop by Liberty this week and not be stunned.  We love the fact that this old ship timber framed building has been dragged into the 21st Century by the creative team here with this installation.  What is so incredibly exciting is to see is a window scheme come from inside of the glass and utilise the outside of their site (albeit only on the ground floor).  With its crumpled pasted posters screaming about LOVE magazine, the bi annual fashion Bible, any viewer / passers by are seemingly magnetically drawn in to take a closer look.  Job very well done we think.

Zara, London

London Fashion week really has well and truly landed at Zara on Oxford St.  We love the wigs with pegs and these wonderfully coloured ones in particular with references - whether intentional or not but are rather reminiscent and a nod - to the film The Fifth Element.  Overall this site appears like a scene in Total Recall too. This really is quite a spectacle.  We love the humour and show stopping statement here at this brands flagship site in the centre of it all.  Many thanks guys for sharing the visual of it all.

Recent Commission @ RetailStoreWindows.Com

 

Over the last two years the UK's high streets have seen a sharp rise in the number of shop vacancies particularly within town and city centres – circumstances that of course have been widely reported both in trade journals and national and local newspapers.  Stockport (near Manchester, England) has not been immune to this trend.  Therefore, in response to these issues Stockport Council has been working with a number of partners on a wide range of measures to help both reduce both the impact and amount of vacant units and prevent existing occupied units from becoming vacant.

As part of an overall business programme the Council introduced several new schemes that they hope will be attractive to both landlords and agents of existing vacant units and those who may be interested in occupying vacant premises. The schemes include grants to encourage and assist owners of vacant properties, new businesses and not for profit community groups/organisations to improve and occupy vacant units.  Stockport Art Gallery has been collaborating with the Town Centre Management Team and Merseyway shopping centre to develop and roll out a multi faceted project which will simultaneously deliver on all partner aims, which were for this project:

1. To improve the appearance of vacant shop units in the Stockport Town Centre with the intention of improving its appearance by reducing the blight created by vacant and frequently neglected retail units

2. To increase interest and awareness in empty units through the process of visual animation and indirectly impact on interest in potential lettings- “create a sense of what might be”

3. Create an interest through the project activity itself in the Town Centre and drive up footfall in the Town Centre by either effective project promotion through networking and /or satellite activity.

The project is also intended to:

4. Increase awareness of the Town Centre cultural venues by developing a platform to promote and raise the profile of the Stockport cultural offer and by taking forward the council’s commitment to increase access to the Stockport collection through increased display

5. Deliver a dissemination activity which will share learning and demonstrate best practice to provide a clear project legacy

6. Work in partnership with the council visual arts and curatorial team.

The team at Retailstorewindows.com were involved in this regeneration with the recording of the existing vacant sites and development of potential aspirational concepts through to completion.  The existing vacant sites included 7 window sites as follows:

Former River Island Site



Former Burtons Site



Former Blacks Site



Concepts for each unit needed to link vacant units to a series of over arching themes, and create a trail and a critical mass to enhance the visitor experience as well as encouraging potential new retail tenants.  Each installation also had to include objects / artefact's from the local museum collections and art work from the gallery which reflect the borough's cultural offer and the kinds of opportunity available to Stockport residents across Town Centre. The intention of this was to enhance understanding of the Town Centre offer- both retail and cultural therapy side by side. (Town Central Cultural Venues include Stockport Art Gallery, Staircase House, Stockport Story Museum, The Air Raid Shelters and Hat Works)

Ultimately, the project ambition was to drive visitors/shoppers across and around the main shopping areas; whilst increasing the over all time spent in the Town Centre, and therefore increasing the propensity to indulge in retail, through encouraging a cross over from cultural venues to the Town Centre and vice versa.  Having visited the enormous store of artefact's available we selected some of the below:



Plaster Bust Forms from 1800's



Early Hair Dryer



Wash board, buckets, dolly, trunks

 After a marathon week of implementation, this is some of what we produced.......