Levis, London

Now this is an interesting installation at Levi's.  Sale schemes are always so difficult to make interesting but thankfully the guys here have come up with a simple yet effective solution that gets it all so right.  We love these banners made up of multiple pieces of denim with just that brand signage blocked in the Levi's Red and so powerful and so recognised that it doesn't even need the brand name on it.  

Burberry, London

Oh those savvy guys at Burberry have hit it absolutely on the mark with this campaign.  You clever things.  Our first reaction was, Oh gawd, not a mini-me-becks and we were rather clenching our buttocks as we passed by.  Do we really need yet another vacuous celebrity?  That said, of course, we know this is 'genius' and they have got it all so right (but do we really have to suffer another one?, really?).  The images and scheme of course look great but gawd that family are so bloody irritating.

Can YOU help? Jessops, UK

Image Copyright Lanza Martineta

When the going gets tough, the tough are left out in the cold.  Another sad story of clearly hard working staff hung out to dry.  80 years of brand heritage gone.  Through the power of the window, these guys have offered their services to the world out there.  We know you 'the world' read this site as we check our stats and goodness knows it reads like a who's who of brands globally from luxe to value to independent.  So come on, do something worthwhile other than peddle your wares to us and lets get these guys back in the retail 'saddle'.  If we say nothing, who will?  Follow the story here:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262801/Relief-Jessops-employees-stuck-pictures-shop-window-stunt-leads-job-offers-firm-orders-display.html  We will no doubt be in trouble for this, but then if you read out 10 Commandments of Visual Merchandising 2013.....its just the mid-life crisis kicking in.

Myla, London

This brand oozes luxury and shines like a beacon of hope.  We love what they do, we crave each installation and we love the experience of finding the next next one.  Oh no wait.  No, not love.  The other one.  Harrowing.  Copper mesh bra's, oh dear.  They may be shiny but this scheme is not saying luxury to us and there is no hope.  Get yourself a copy of the book Brahaus and lets see some fun here, eh?

Asprey, London

We love the narratives behind the products which have been created here.  We're not huge fans of brand spanking new products as we do like things to have some kind of history behind  them which makes them just that little bit more interesting, don't you think?  Vintage is one of our favourite....would one say angle?  or perspective?  As its not a movement or period?  But anyway,  we do love to surround ourselves with things which are either useful of beautiful and to wonder who owned something previously and what kind of life it may have had before us.  Well, Asprey have created these wonderful one liners around the products which give a fantastic sense of 'story' that we just cant help but want to step in and buy ourselves a little something gorgeous. 

Alexander McQueen, London

We haven't seen masses of creativity oozing from the windows of this brand recently, although the merchandise is so incredibly delicious, why fight with it?  The product of course is always so stunning and we love the details on the mannequins here.  Beautifully sculptural and of course works in perfect harmony with the panelled background and illuminated flooring.  Wonderful.

 

Esprit, London

We really quite like this Sale scheme at Esprit right now with its 'loft apartment' feel about it.  Gone are the usual piles of stuff that no-one wanted but bought anyway simply 'because it was a bargain' and here we have a rather more grown up scheme and rather more sophisticated installation, simply and effectively produced we think, don't you?

Clarks, London

Remember Clarks?  Sensible school shoes that you were never ever going to look cool in?  Well, not anymore.  Someone here has gripped this 'Hush Puppy brand' by the throat and shaken it into the 21st Century and they are looking ever more cool and interesting.  OK, well the Sale scheme is a version of their Christmas one only with 'Sale' added, but we can forgive that one (well almost).  The Gold could have gone a nice shade of Crimson, but we wont mention it.  We cant wait to see what these guys do next in 2013 (but lets not use these trees again, eh?)

Hackett, London

Hackett really were a  fantastic visual brand throughout 2012 for menswear and very brave.  We've loved what they've done.  Entertainment, wonderful humour and slick presentations.  What more could we ask for?  Its very, very unusual for brands to say who works with them, most appear very coy when a scheme appears and usually take all kudos so its great to see that Harlequin Design get some credit and so publicly at their store along Regent street.

Calvin Klein, London

We haven't stopped by this Calvin Klein store along Regent street for a while as they don't always do anything very interesting.  The NYC store of course is rather more conceptual and always draws us in to take a closer look and we often wish that this store would do something along the same lines - but they don't.  But, anyway, we love the repetition of these mannequins wearing the same outfits and this huge big 'Sale' sign which has to be seen as it is actually quite unusual when seen from different angles.  In store, as with everyone else out there, digital is big.  Big screens are everywhere at the moment, so lets hope that they have thought about the content and the cost of changing it frequently in order to keep those regular customers entertained.

Cos, London

We just love the thinking behind this scheme.  So bloody simple it hurts.  Thankfully, this is one brand that have removed their Christmas scheme and not simply kept it in and added a Sale vinyl with lights still-a-blinging in the background; there's nothing worse than Christmas schemes after Christmas. Anyway, we also love the strap line "We're emptying our rails so that you can fill yours".  So much better than the usual 'Can you please buy all the crap we have left that no-one else wants please, in odd sizes that fit no-one so that we can move on to the next batch of stuff we need to shift', don't you think?.....;o).

Desigual, London

After what feels like months away from freezing London we're back....!  Sadly its dreaded Sale time here, and no sooner had the wheels touched the runway from what now feels like an exotic climate we've been out an about to at least find some interesting schemes here to share with you.  Thankfully, Desigual rarely disappoint us and even though it is this hideous no-mans land-of-window-schemes-time-of-year they always make an effort to bring a bit of humor to the high street.  Thank goodness for Desigual, eh?

On the Streets, Marrakech

Marrakech is possibly one of the last cities on earth that doesn't have a Zara, H&M, Gap or countless other brands on every high street and therefore this is an oasis of unique experiences.  OK, well, the visual merchandising is not exactly the best in the world, and neither is the merchandising.  However, it is so refreshing to view and experience good old fashioned retailing.  The bartering aspect takes some time to get used to as do the dramatics of the retailers, but once you get past this, it is quite a spectacle to be a part of.  What is always so interesting about these kinds of places however is why is the same stuff repeated countless times?  There is certainly a fairly limited market here but how many rugs, teapots and Gold coloured decorative trays can one realistically own?  And don't get us started on the mountains of Moroccan slippers.  If only these guys would inject a little more 'design' into what is presented here and thought into how they can differentiate themselves from each other  then it would perhaps appeal to a broader market.  This is of course easier said than done and through our conversations with so many of the retailers here, many of whom admitted that they have no idea how to use a computer it is perhaps understandable and the charm of what they do and how they do it would only be lost forever so in some ways its better not to tinker with it and just enjoy.