VM & Display Show, London 2012

Electrosigns

Have you been to the VM & Display show here in London yet?  Well if not here's a snapshot and some of our favourites pieces from the show.  We adore the neon from Electrosigns that we showed recently courtesy of Matches Fashion Boutique and of course DZD are looking as cool as ever; what a fantastic concept for a Christmas scheme or event?  (If you want to see more of what they do just click on the link on the right hand side of this page)  Millington Associates of course are rocking with their incredible technology; we are truly stunned by what these guys are producing right now.  Technology is clearly the future.  New collections are being showcased by the guys from Panache with the launch of their Jersey Kids collection and Matt Wingfields incredible creativity drew us to them immediately.  We recently showed some of the mannequins produced by the french company 'Window Mannequins' at Bloomingdales in Dubai which we absolutely loved and Rare Basics have launched a semi-covered (in fabric) mannequin with a high gloss finish; the poses of these are so elegant how could one not snap these up immediately and interestingly enough, Topshop are showcasing another one of their collections at Oxford Circus right now which we will include shortly.   If that's not enough the lovely guys from Blacks can produce your complete scheme from start to finish.  You only have today and tomorrow to get yourself to the show at the Business Design Centre (nearest tube is Angel) and we guarantee that you wont be disappointed.  This show rocks. 



DZD



DZD

Millington Associates

Panache

Matt Wingfield Studio



Windows Mannequins

Rare Basics

Blacks



Salam, Dubai

We do love having a scout around Salam although it always feels a little like they have closed the store just for us as there is absolutely no-one else here and there is complete silence.  Eerie and dull but visually really cool.  This also must be painful for the sales staff;  after all how often can you rearrange the same fixture?  But anyway, every area   within this store has been carefully considered and creatively produced but sadly we only have the squeaking of the soles of our shoes while walking across the glossy floor to amuse us.

Bugatti B>More, Dubai

Like a beacon of creative hope at the Wafi Mall (the one with the hideous plastic Egyptian theme), Bugatti BMore shouts its presence.  Sadly the Wafi is almost always empty of people and the number of empty shop units here is quite surprising.  This is a shame really as there are some little gems of stores to explore including the department store Salam which looks very cool, but it appears to be dying a very slow and painful death given that the Mall of the Emirates has its ski Dubai and the the Dubai Mall is so vast that we can only do bite sized visits and is jammed full of shoppers after 4.00pm.  Anyway, with their fingers clearly on the pulse, Bugatti BMore have a least three current trends here with their wired, Neon and of course the references to Fine Art with its nod to Mondrian.   

Galeries Lafayette, Dubai

It somehow seems so odd to see a Galeries Lafayette in a Dubai Mall, although here it is.  We're guessing that this is another franchise of course, just like almost every other brand here, although most of these stores do manage to maintain the brands' standards that one would expect.  Anyway, we haven't had time to have a scout around inside here and although the schemes here are interesting they do seem to lack the sharp cultural references that we see in London or New York but then there is so little in the form of cutting edge stuff happening around the country to draw upon, the most being Madonna in concert and censorship is painful so we have to overlook this for now.

TWG Tea, Dubai

Even in its franchise faux-ness, we thought TWG Tea looked rather impressive.  How clean and crisp is this presentation?  OK, well its not the most exciting thing in the world right now, although these guys clearly know how to merchandise product and this is so shoppable and so teasingly fully replenished that we were very tempted - but resisted at least for now.  We may go back and take a longer look at this small but perfectly delivered space.

Hermes, Dubai

Wow, we are loving the 'street' approach by Hermes in Dubai right now.  How cool are these guys?  These massive window schemes and their urban approach with their use of graffiti in conjunction with their gorgeous luxe product, how could anyone not love this?  How this is translated in store we're not quite sure as we only had a fleeting visit but this is a refreshing change from the global corporate schemes that we see on our travels from luxury brands, mid-range and dare we say 'value' (OK, cheap stuff) that we see everywhere else.  These guys are so fricking cool, it hurts and we love it.

Harvey Nichols, Dubai

What an enormously fun window scheme at Harvey Nichols, Dubai.  We made a bee line for this store just to see what the guys here were doing and we weren't disappointed.  As usual, with their brilliant wit and humour the team here have presented a kind of underwater theme.  If you happen to be at this fabulous anchor store at the Dubai Mall then do have a look at this incredible scheme.  They have a big push with Illimasqua too which breaks up these huge windows and fabulous wig and make-up on their Rootstein's Erin O'conner mannequin.

Valentino, Dubai

We're not entirely sure why, but Valentino never seem to do anything very interesting in their windows.  We've seen these stores the world over and every single store simply has the product displayed quite simply.  Of course Valentino is master absolute of the fashion biz, so we guess its a case of why try and gild the lily?

Laboutin, Dubai

How incredibly fun is Laboutin's store?  We were drawn in immediately, particularly as they also have an exhibition area just outside in the main walk way. The interior of the store is a little disappointing, although this may be because the outside is just so amazing and exciting.  A variety of materials have been placed on the outside of the fenestration in a whole variety of colours and his signature shoes placed so beautifully that why would anyone not want to own a piece of his work?  Just delicious.

Fendi, Dubai

Although we never buy anything here, this brand just gets better and better.  Within the Mall of Dubai in the area known locally as the 'Drum', Fendi shines like a beacon of hope for creativity.  This oozes the super cool luxe-meets-street which they seem to be getter better and better at doing and we just love it.

Bloomingdales, Dubai

How cool is this promotion?  Right at the front of the store we have Blommingdales' giant Neon Bag promotion.  This leads into a space for the 'little Neon Bags' for us to buy and in addition to this a little shop dedicated to this product.  In store, this space is so incredibly exciting, perfectly lit and at every turn there is another exciting presentation that, in fact we've just realised that we've spent hours here - job wonderfully done.

Bloomingdales, Dubai

While its freezing cold back in Europe right now, we're sizzling hot here in Dubai.  How cool, eh?  Post jet-lag we've already been out and about to see whats happening in the Malls around town and we've already spotted some key schemes to share with you.  Here at Bloomingdales, and absolutely on trend they're presenting us with their Neon Nights scheme.  We adore the elongated mannequins they've used here and their sweet wrapper head dresses.  The wiring of the mannequins is a little hit and miss but that aside, we love what we see.

On the Streets, Amsterdam

There is nothing better than scouring the cities for their Antiques, Boutiques and markets for those delicious finds.  We were looking for something special for one of our clients through the alley ways and over the canals in search of beautiful things.  Gorgeous original early 20th century lighting stores, vintage furniture and all sorts of interesting bits can be found all over Amsterdam so naturally we were drawn into the light here to take a closer look.  We're sadly leaving this beautiful city, but by complete contrast we will be warming up like lizards on a rock and showing you some of the latest schemes from the Emirates and the Dubai malls in our next entries.  Bring on the desert sunshine...!