Issey Miyake, London

I couldn't help but capture this installation from Issey Miyake.  OK, well the brand is launching their own Evian bottles albeit within a overall cool brand and bottles of the stuff have been placed within a repetition format with vinyl 'motif' flowers' adhered to the fenestration.  My students will be rolling their eyes right now as the mere thought of a 'Motif' is something that is always barred from my studios.  They recognise that this is a last resort by retailers to implement a scheme with minimal output but with the maximum perceived gain.  Anyway, strangely, while these water bottles have been placed in a repetition format, someone didn't quite straighten the mirrored vinyl/background which has actually distorted the bottles of water above.  Whether by default of design this actually works incredibly well and adds a rather more interesting dimension to this concept.

Daks, London

With wool schemes rife around town this week, Daks here have produced an interesting scheme too.  With their use of Mannequins in a White finish and out sized ball of Wool on which the female figure is sat, this really is a simple but effective scheme. Strands of wool have been strung across the background in a variety of matching tones framing this scenario.  I do find Daks's schemes a little 'hit and miss' personally, but when they get it right (at least for me) they really do get it so right.  Thanks guys, this was a pleasure to view.   

Liberty, London

I'm always excited to see what the guys at Liberty here in London are going to do next and they never fail to surprise me.  The latest installation is quite exceptional and what is so interesting here is their quite abstract approach to their installations.  Here we have the latest offering from the creative team which to me is very reminiscent of Hans Bellmar's work and in particular "Death, Desire and the Doll".  Bellmar one said "I want to reveal scandalously the interior that will always remain hidden and sensed behind the successive layers of the human structure and its last unknowns".  Bellmar himself felt [that] "religion was his great enemy, and the Great Britain and America were too puritan to accept his work".  Of course this was written at a time when these countries probably were, however, the problem [he felt] lay between [us] "distinguishing between erotic art (which is at best acceptable) and pornography (which is not)".  While the figures here are neither erotic nor pornographic, what I do find particularly interesting it the use of figures in such an abstract way.  Usually of course mannequins do not 'wear' this kind of merchandise and so this installation has added an additional layer to its use which we don't see very often.  OK, well, some of the mannequins used clearly were never meant to be placed in the position that they have been and in a way this does jar just a little, however maybe this is an indication to suppliers of this stuff that actually we need their product to be able to do a lot more than they currently do?  In the meantime, enjoy this wonderfully avant-garde installation from the coolest guys in town.

This is quite exceptional.....!

This has been very beautifully produced......there should have been crowds around this....!

Burberry, London

I have been following the schemes here at Burberry in London for some time now.  I've seen the schemes around the world, I've seen the Daniella Westbrook brand killing photographs that seemed to have haunted this brand for years, and most of what these guys have produced visually I really haven't liked at all - possibly because it looked so marketing led and therefore little creativity.  However, this is not to say that this company hasn't done well anyway - in fact I believe profits are extremely healthy right now - perhaps to the detriment of the visual aspect of what they do. Well, anyway, after a long while avoiding what this brand has been doing visually, I must say, hands up, they are looking really good right now.  OK, its the usual illuminated graphic format, but strangely, I was rather wowed by this scheme.  Small nuggets of something in a metallic finish have been strategically placed on the bases of this scheme, vinyl on the fenestration, with beautifully illuminated and immaculately dressed mannequins.......I just feel that finally this is all so much better.

Kew Gardens, London

Another day researching in paradise looking at the principles of form and design.  With an incredible amount of resources available to top up all of the senses, with the repetition of structure, visible structures, imperfection, spatial distortion, parallel movement and so on (the list is virtually endless), this is a must do visit for anyone out there, particularly if your workplace is akin to battery farming and you are being bled dry of any sense of inspiration in an office somewhere by one of the corporate giants in mega structure land, because as creative people we can (and are usually expected) to design without replenishment, right?  This is a truly cleansing experience and no fake topiary or plastic grass in site.  So turn off that computer and get a one way ticket to inspiration.  You know you want to.

Esprit, London

Well its all about the wool this week here in London, just about everyone who is anyone has taken the opportunity to dance with the Prince of Wales (almost literally) and promote Wool.  I love wool - terrible for trying to get rid of the moths though in my Victorian abode.  I find myself having to wave my hands in the air trying to catch the little bleeders on an hourly basis.  Living in a scenario of ostentatious poverty, i.e. gorgeous darkwood  floorboards and not a hint of carpet any where, I just don't know where on earth these little things are coming from.  Clearly there is a moth underworld breeding somewhere in here just getting ready to launch their chomping little jaws into a gorgeous something.  I once lost a whole beautifully tailored woollen Vivienne Westwood suit to these little guys - a very expensive dinner on me I guess.  Yes, I have the cedar wood, the candles, the incense sticks burning daily.  It all seems to be in vain keeping on top these flying friends and just cant stand that 'crunch' when one steps on them or bring myself to squidge them.

Anyway, beyond the annoying Sale graphic across the window here, Esprit is looking really good.  Out sized balls of wool in the most gorgeous colours and abstract figures makes this store look cool again.  

Kew Gardens, London

You cant beat a working day meandering around the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew here in London.  Of course, this is not meant as an advertisement for the place, but to research new concepts for Commercial environments this is an incredible place to begin.  Natural forms in repetition and radiating formats, examples of gravity defying plants, colour and texture and combinations of all of these, this is certainly the place to begin.  Winter time is also spectacular, particularly when it snows when you can make your way straight to the Palm houses for a bit of exotica in a tropical climate and yet its freezing outside.   With the oldest and largest glasses houses in the world (unless Dubai make a faux version or attempt to buy these ones) these ooze history and depth that really cant help but inspire you.

Hobbs, London

Apparently this week is Wool Week - until the 17th October at least - here in the city.  Around town we can see all sorts of creative schemes picking up on this thread (no pun intended) and no more so than Hugo Boss, Jigsaw, Daks, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Saville Row itself.  Apparently Selfridges will be driving a flock of Yellow sheep along Oxford St., Jigsaw is holding knitting lessons, and Saville row has been turfed over so that two flocks of sheep can graze on this sacred tailored ground.  I will try and get some images of these little Gems as this is so incredibly exciting that how could I not share this with you.  These kind of 'happenings' are absolutely what London is about.  The creative thought and the chutzpah of these events continues to make this city the place to be.  In the meantime, Hobbs is one of those brands that I have never covered and usually find myself giving this store a very cursory glance, however, wow guys, I love what you have done here. 

Asprey, London

I am so glad Asprey got rid of those dull tree motifs carrying handbags.  This is very much appreciated guys.  Thank you.

Before:

After:

Hermes, London

Someone had a good Saturday night.  Come on Hermes, sort your mannequins out.

Visual Merchandising Awards 2010

Is there a way of unravelling toes that are so tightly curled inside expensive shoes?  A whole weekend and I am still unable to unclench my buttocks too (perhaps a little too much information for you) although after an 'interesting'  evening celebrating the best in the Visual Merchandising industry here in London on Friday (mercifully I was with good immediate company) however, I still am rather traumatised from the experience.  

It seemed to be a kind of sinister, B movie, employee of the month celebration rather than a prestigious award ceremony. Not that I frequent places such as fast food restaurants, but on the very few occasions that I have - for research obviously -  have you ever noticed those rows of photographs of staff usually framed and placed close to the counter?  Employee of the month, or, in other words,  how to simultaneously be a "winner and a loser".  Sadly any prestige attached to these awards has long gone and possibly to the embarrassment of the recipients. 

 

The Australian Drag Queen Vida Las Vegas (no I hadn't heard of him either) hosted the event this year.  While I'm not adverse to coarse humour in the slightest, I like it to at least be amusing.  With such dreadfully unfunny material (actually no material that could be even microscopically identified) it would seem that the only thing amusing about this act was actually how dreadful it all was - and even that wasn't very amusing.  Parading to the UK's visual finest in a painfully cheap velour frock does not a talent make, although of course its nothing slow suffocation wouldn't have cured.  The publicly humiliating walkabout - as a last resort pick-on-the-audience-strategy - completely lost us as if we hadn't already been.  Thankfully we were spared any miming to CeCe Peniston hits or 'Its raining men' - hallelujah, really.  

With intermittent stints from Hot Gussets vaguely amusing routines writhing in faux leopard and glitter, was cringe worthy at best.  I'm not particularly  au fait with celebrating the untalented, in a room full of so many genuinely talented people,  in fact I find it quite insulting, significantly less than entertaining and incredibly sad that in contemporary society that we feel the need to parade our talentless in front of the talented and are expected to find it all so amusing.

While I am of course pleased to see industry colleagues, peers and so on be recognised for their hard work and so they should be, however with information provided for the event that informed us "we had the greatest number of entries ever for this years event and making the final is a great achievement" was soon shattered when it became as ever apparent that the winners were virtually the same as.......well, just about every other year. With supplier sponsored awards it appeared, at least to me, that this was more about securing and maintaining commercial contracts than celebrating the best from industry.  Of course this may not be the case (yeah right) but it is at least how it appears from the outside looking in and originates from the lack of transparency (just like employee of the month scenarios) in how these outcomes are actually decided.

Are we not worth more than this?  Yes we are.  A lot of you in the UK VM industry think it, because an awful lot of you say it to me, but it seems no one else is prepared to say this publicly.  However, it would be helpful to have a fairer system of voting for our UK visual best and some transparency in the process in deciding winners to enable those unsung hero's who perhaps are on the periphery of this industry as well as those who are not and yet never receive industry recognition, however, all make such a significant contribution. This may finally make this occasion something worth celebrating, meaningful, and we can as an industry finally be on the path to being recognised as an integral part of the visual industry that we are rather than surplus to requirements when times get tough.     

In the meantime, who needs surveys, questionnaires or to reflect on the event when the so dreadfully unentertaining say it all about the (w)hole experience in just one image..........?

Mango, London

Mango clearly have their fingers on the pulse of whats happening 'out there' or at least what will be happening.  There seems to be the beginning of a Copper trend with Copper accessories cropping up around town throughout certain schemes.  The Uber cool crowd have clearly picked this up as a future trend of 2012 while the laggards will be picking this stuff up from Primark and M&S sometime around mid 2013.  Interestingly this installation does remind me a little of some of the images I have in my archives, possibly reminiscent of the 'Golden Hands' magazines from the 1970's or one of those knitting patterns with models in stilted poses wearing the most awful knitwear.  But anyway,  a cool scheme from these guys and a pleasure to share it with you all.