Visual Merchandisers Around the World

We're always pleased to hear from Visual Merchandisers around the world and we often receive e-mails  of support, questions and thanks from a lot of you out there struggling with the 'system'.  The industry, sadly, can often be a difficult and solitary path to follow.  Low wages, no thanks, redundancy, the list  goes on.  However, there are also a lot of you who are soldiering on regardless and you're the guys who make the difference and contribute to the visual merchandising industry in a positive way.  We recently received these images from Australia from Nic Groom who is doing wonderful things on the other side of the world from London.  Nic, who moved from London to work in Melbourne, produces these really interesting schemes across enormous stores (we particularly love the wall of toast)  There are an awful lot of them too...!  88 stores across Australia and New Zealand.  Here we have a selection of Nic's installations ranging from a scheme called Time Flies and another inspired by feminine romance novels.  We are in a privilege position to receive so many message from you all out there, so please keep the images coming and lets all see what you guys are are doing around the world?

Harvey Nichols, London

Wow, if you haven't seen the latest scheme from the creative team at Harvey Nichols then you really are in for a treat.  As a special one-off we've decided to download our images into one of our on-line books in order for you to get a 'feel' for what these guys have produced.  The bizarre, the surreal and just a little bit sinister the guys here have created their latest scheme with their usual cool, informed and seemingly effortless (although of course it really isn't) style of working.  Always on the pulse, these guys always seem to get it so right.

Amouage, London

If you are around the Knightsbridge area soon, do go and check out the newest installation at Amouage.  This latest piece is a collaboration between the guys at www.KSHT.co.uk and our favourite artists Dallas and Angel at the DnA Factory.  Their latest piece, loosely based on Madame Butterfly is used to promote the latest fragrance from Amouage - Honour.  Hidden amongst the Rose petals and Butterflies are placed the amazing perfume in their gorgeous White bottles, just oozing luxury.  If you cant get to Knightsbridge you can always check the work by the DnA factory in in particular the link here of the work they produced at Harvey Nichols a few years ago is a real treat  http://www.thednafactory.com/harvey-nichols.html

Inspiration Books, London

As part of our on-going review of our site and of course freely bringing you the latest and greatest from the visual industry in London and wherever we are in the world,  purely benevolently for the visual industry and anyone else out there who is simply interested, we are trialing these visual inspiration books.  Firstly, to see if the system works and secondly to bring to you, in one tiny publication some interesting visual information about whats happening 'out there' and where we are looking.  The book above is still quite raw, but thats work in progress for you.  Please let us know what you think?

Gap, London

Is is just us that thinks the following, we wondered?  Do the children in this Gap poster look like they are blowing out smoke?  This is how this poster appears exactly as it is on the outside of the store on Regent street.  We actually walked around this image in case it was light bouncing onto it from the store opposite, but this is just as it is.  Strange, eh? Get your box of 20 Gapboro lights, Gap Slims, Chester-gaps in store we guess?

Cos, London

As Sale windows go COS are certainly one of the best currently on the high street.  Creating the scenario that any retailer would wish to view, Cos have done the job for us.  Fun, ironic and new....but lets get Sale time out of the way though now, eh?

Energie, London

These guys at Energie are absolutely rocking London right now with their schemes.  Creating and installing them faster than Gaga can change her outfits the team here are strutting their stuff with the confidence of a mega-brand.  With their 'air-con' freezing and dripping lettering spelling out Summer thankfully these guys haven't tarnished their installation with massive 'Sale' signage plastered on their windows, but maintained their scheme with a discrete 40% off placed just at the bottom of their window - thank you..!  We love where these guys are going with their schemes and fingers crossed they don't become so massive that we just see a large format graphic placed behind every scheme in the future.  Guess....watch this space.... 

East India Tea Company, London

We're so embarrassed mentioning this scheme again (OK not really) But regular readers will remember just last week we asked these guys at the East India Tea Company to get rid of their Black Plastic Bin Liner (home trash can liner for our readers in the US) rippled base and Christmas-gift-stylee-wrapped plinth, while teasing just a little about the pseudo fabric created figure in the background.  It seems our (probably unwelcome advice to go and view Fortnum and Mason windows to see how it should be done) has resulted in the below...taadaaaa...!  Fabric from previous pseudo mannequin / figure is now covering the base.  How versatile is this fabric, hey?  We're now just left wondering what kind of origami-like-thing-type-of-construction this fabric will be by next week.....watch this space....  In the meantime, please can someone else just go and tap on the windows and tell 'em, eh? For our part, we'll just keep telling it like it is.

Diane Von Furstenburg, London

We're not massive fans of this brand but they do what they do very well.  This store in particular has quite a difficult space to work with, being both narrow in depth, several metres high and beyond railings.  So, no easy task to be creative here.  Their usual style is to use the merchandise as the starting point for their installations, pulling on pattern and colour as the main theme as we can see here with the use of vinyl applied to the fenestration and then adding a bit more interest with stacked chairs to create that sense of height and therefore the pyramidal format.  While not necessarily the most exciting scheme in the world, it does what is says on the tin.

Hackett, London

Its all about 'Sale' around town.  Red % off signs are dominating the majority of store's windows right now, which of course is the standard approach.  We're always on the look out for the latest and greatest and someone who's doing something just that little bit different.  OK, well Sale time is an inevitable consequence of the industry that we are in, however it is so refreshing to see a company do something just that little bit different.  Here at Hackett the guys are clearing out the old stuff but showing us a teasing glimpse of whats to come.  How fab is that, eh?  We've never seen this combination before (and we've been looking at this stuff a long time) so this is a refreshing and welcome strategic approach.  When we did look through the sneak peek camera lens,  almost like naughty school boys looking through the dormitory key hole,  whatever it is behind it wasn't actually working at the time when we looked (but it is now) This was a real shame as we were really excited and drawn in to see what was going to be revealed.  However thankfully we've been sent a copy for you to view.  We love what these guys do, this is quite a leap forward, something which is great fun and to be celebrated too.

Vertu, London

Hey Vertu, your sign has fallen off.

New and Lingwood, London

We don't often venture along Jermyn St. although so much of central London is going through a period of deconstruction and subsequent reconstruction and everywhere it seems is impossible to get to and from.  And all for an Olympics games, to which we are unable to obtain tickets.  Anyway, we really, really want to love this scheme here at New and Lingwood as the colours of the merchandise and the neon Ice Creams are great fun and almost edible.  Unfortunately the dressing....and we are trying to be diplomatic here....leaves a lot to be desired.  This is such a shame and we just want to climb into this space and give these guys a hand.  Great merchandise + great potential fun +terrible presentation = No customers.  Great merchandise + superb presentation = A wider range of customers.  Simples, eh?

Lanvin, London

We quite like the newest scheme here at Lanvin at the moment although it is reminiscent of their scheme that we saw at their Paris store in January earlier this year.  We're not quite sure about these wiggy looking wigs however.  Some are OK although the Brown wig at the back of the top image has hair tucked inside the wig which makes it appear as if it has fallen or been taken off at some stage and replaced incorrectly?  These were also quite difficult windows to capture because of the cars parked outside, but still, great product and very cool brand.