10x window inspiration

The new season is not only about the new collections, but also about in-store and window presentation. Creative visualizer & trend watcher Ronny de Vylder takes us through 10 inspiring Visual merchandising trends.

You can tell the most beautiful stories in your window and store interior. Especially the big designer brands often go big. But even with a smaller budget you can provide creativity and innovation in-store. Creative visualizer & trend watcher Ronny de Vylder photographs the most beautiful and inspiring concepts during his travels. In his presentation Creative Collage, he takes us along ten major retail trends in the field of visual merchandising, with interesting budget tips.

1.Evergreen

Evergreen revolves around recurring themes such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, summer and winter, in which trends can be discovered despite the repetition. For example, Christmas is gaining ground and Christmas trees are getting a different look than the traditional ones, for example by using white neon lights. The Ski theme is also on the rise and is being picked up big by designer brands such as Jacquemus, Armani, Moncler and Balenciaga.

This theme is all about the power of color. You can achieve great effects with color blocking, but also with ton-sur-ton applications. Color says something about the brand identity (Hema is red and Ikea is blue-yellow), but also about the season or mood. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp painted each room completely in a different color, which can also be applied to the different areas in your store.

3.Glowcraft

Lighting is very important for window displays and store interiors, but is often an underserved issue. You often see retailers put up window displays or furniture differently, but don’t change the illumination. Whereas a good lighting plan can make all the difference. You can highlight products, illuminate displays or experiment with colored light, like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman in New York. No light, no sales!

4.Pop-up buzz

Pop-ups remain relevant, especially for niche brands. You can go all out here around collabs, limited editions or capsule collections, especially if the store is also located in an exceptional building. The temporary aspect triggers customers to buy. Atelier Reservé opened a pop-up store in Amsterdam around their Miffy collection of upcycled denim. Mara Mara lined the pop-up in London entirely with teddy, in reference to their popular teddy coat. 

5.Outsized

A big trend is magnified shapes in visual merchandising. Inflatable shapes and other large eye-catchers create a playful effect. These are the best fun places to take a selfie for Instagram. COS presented a man-sized quilted bag in a pop-up store to promote their new bag and at Modefabriek, Mud Jeans set up a life-size dragon made of recycled denim.

6.Express Yourself

Window mannequins are becoming more diverse and sometimes even personalized. Body positivity and diversity play an increasingly important role, with figures in all kinds of fits and skin tones. Mannequins with realistic faces are hardly seen anymore. Of interest are dynamic poses, as if in motion. With good figures that are well lit, you don't need much decor. Or even none. This only requires very good styling of the mannequins.

7.City Culture Celebration

As a retailer, you can respond well to local events around arts and culture. You can display art by local artists in your store or source products from young designers or artisans. The interactive experience is also important, for example by providing more information via a QR code.

8.Visionary ventures

A theme full of innovation, with out-of-the-box ideas, futuristic elements and virtual reality experiences. Uncommon Store in Seoul at The Hyundai Seoul mall is a staffless store, where everything you take with you is automatically debited from your bank account. Innovation doesn't always have to be expensive. Hang canvases with large collection images in the window with a fan underneath and you have an innovative moving image.

9.Brand empower

A brand is loaded with big statements in the window or store. Beautiful is the window display featuring the Moncler and Adidas collaboration at Saks Fifth Avenue. A strong piece of storytelling. As a small retailer, you can also achieve this in collaboration with a supplier. Some brands set up several retailers' shop windows worldwide with a full brand experience of the brand. Of course, they then usually have a pop-up shop in the department store as well. 

10.Green Aesthetics

A sustainable theme with vintage finds and natural and recycled materials for the interior. Interesting are biodegradable mannequins, for example made of bioplastic from sugarcane derivatives as at Bonaveri. This theme calls for creativity. Painted boxes in the shop window, vintage Gispen chairs as clothes rack on the wall or a Christmas tree made of iron clothes hangers.

Written by Rosita van der Kwaak