Tag Archives: selfridges

Christian Louboutin at Selfridges

Selfridges, Oxford Street, London

The iconic shoe designer Christian Louboutin celebrates 20 years of a career in shoe design. To mark this milestone Selfridges have dedicated a World of Louboutin concept space within the store, as well as series of windows. Both were designed and produced by London display design company StudioXAG.

The layout of each window celebrates a different shoe in the collection with an effective use of repetition, symmetry and a variation in scale of the 2D printed photoghraphs. The use of mirrors further enchances the repetitive element running through the scheme. The collage of all these elements makes a strong product promotion.

Temporary tattoo transfers are available in the concept store.

Moving graphics have been incorporated into the designs, which you can see by clicking here.

The concept store interiors are very much inspired by Louboutin boutiques including Hollywood style entrance archways, ‘wonder cabinets’ at the entrance and gold plinths with tops in Louboutin’s signiture red. The central focus of the space is the celebratory 20Ans tower, a bespoke acrylic and polished brass display for the limited edition capsule collection.

All photos courtesy of StudioXAG. Set up in 2009 by Xavier Sheriff & Gemma Ruse, StudioXAG specialises in art direction and display design for retail. Projects range from prop making and bespoke installations, to design and production of entire shop refits and nationwide window roll-outs. Their clients include Diesel, Fred Perry, London Graphic Centre & Christian Louboutin.

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Project Ocean at Selfridges

Selfridges, Oxford St, London

‘The ocean is a source of food, a place for recreation, and its beauty has inspired countless artists. But, it’s under threat – from over-fishing and poor fishing practices.’ This is the message that is laid out in the run of Selfridges’ Oxford Street windows. The results are a fun way of educating the customer, raising money for a good cause and reassuring the customer that Selfridges is an ethical store  to buy their fish from.

For more information about Project Ocean click here.

Photographs by Robert Gunning.

Robert Gunning studied Photography at Institute of Technology in Sligo, Ireland, following a move to London joined the famous Camera Club in Bowden street and assisted other photographers.

Robert also worked in Selfridges Head Office for many years shooting both A-list events promotions and supporting internal VM projects. 20 of Robert’s prints which were publicly exhibited at the stores recent huge Centenary Celebrations. Magazine and press publications of his images, included Hello, The Guardian, Evening Standard and The Washington Post.

Robert runs a photography business in London and offers clients very competitive quotes on bespoken photography projects, contact for more details.

www.robertgunningphotography.com

Happy Happy Toy-Joy at Selfridges

Selfridges, Oxford St, London

Selfridges windows centre around Christmas top sellers: toys. They delight adults and children alike featuring Barbie and Ken, The Sylvannian families and other top toys. The colourful theme is ‘PLAY’ : the look of the windows is cartoon like pop style with simple line drawing cutouts. Characters Claudius, Rudie and  Twinkle Kid appear in them, I shall point them out in the pictures to come. They also make good Christmas baubles so check them out in the Selfridges Christmas shop if you’re feeling playful!


The Oxford Street windows present different takes on Christmas Day. Here we have Barbie and Ken’s Christmas.

Here they are: Claudius on the left and Twinkle Kid on the right. I don’t know who the middle one is. Here is something you might want to know: Claudius is into Tango and speaks many languages, whereas Twinkle Kid is a bit of a fashionista who was once in a band with Miles Davis.

The Orchard Street windows have been designed by artist Pete Fowler who has created a modern family Christmas with characters we all know and love, including the Shoreditch Trendy Dad, the PR Queen Mum and the Brainbox Daughter.



Book Review: ‘Window Display – New Visual Merchandising’

Window Display - New Visual Merchandising by Tony Morgan, Laurence King Publishing; 2010. ISBN: 978-1-85669-685-2. £22.50

The new book by Tony Morgan boasts some excellent photographs of the best recent windows in London, New York, Paris and beyond. Morgan takes us on a personal journey with his writing, which shines through his passion for display. The book is well structured and looks at windows from different perspectives in seven chapters such as Colour, Lighting and Theatre. The book covers the top department stores from New Yorks  Bergdorf Goodman to London’s Selfridges (Morgan worked as Head of Visual Merchandising there for 18 years), designer shops such as Prada and Moschino, as well as high street fashion concepts by TopShop and  Zara.

With relevant images and captions he shows how a window is more than just a useful space to promote products. “Today these glazed canvases promote the store’s brand identity, keep the customer informed of fashion trends and ultimately drive sales.” He explores several ways to make the stores windows stand out from their competitors. Would a tyrannosaurus Rex eating a mannequin get your attention? He quite rightly argues that good windows are the talk of the town.

The book successfully highlights  how different elements of window design can inspire and increase sales. Morgan celebrates ”the creative retail gurus” who design the schemes. I always wonder who designed the windows, therefore  I wish he would have explored  this further. Overall I strongly recommend the book.

Tony Morgan teaches visual merchandising at Fashion Retail Academy and is a guest lecturer at London College of Fashion. His previous book is called Visual Merchandising: Window and In-store Displays for Retail.
All images by Laurence King Publishing.

Desire, Yearn, Crave for Selfridges

Selfridges, Oxford St, London

All eyes are on just one product in each of the current Selfridges windows. The scheme consists of variety of wooden structures, red lighting wire, large hot lights directed at products, as well as multiples of hanging light bulbs. Floors are covered with bricks and then painted white. Each window states a different reason why you should have to buy the product. Yes, I’m starting to think that window display is part art, part brain washing..

By using just one single product, Selfridges have generated a great amount of attention and therefore desire for that product. It is a brave choice, but maybe something that a company like Selfridges can afford to make.

Selfridges Windows: Hit Songs in 3D

Selfridges, Oxford Street, London

To mark the beginning of the summer festival season, Selfridges have collaborated with ten current musicians and asked them to visualise their hit songs in 3 dimensions. It’s amazing to what lengths some of the artists have gone. My favourite is probably the Empire of the Sun – window, because I love their song so much. Knowing the songs is a key to understanding what the windows are all about, hence I’m putting links up so you can listen to the songs.

All photos by Andrew Meredith.

Florence and the Machine: ‘Cosmic Love‘ .

‘The stars, the moon, they’re all blown out. You have left me in the dark. No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight in the shadows of your heart.’

It’s all about light; I like the way they’ve done the mannequin’s insides with fluorescent lights as well. It’s a beautiful song, and I think this windows captures the spirit well.

Dizzee Rascal: ‘Bonkers

‘Some people think I’m bonkers, but I just think I’m free.. Man I’m just livin’ my life, there’s nothin’ crazy bout me.’

Great song! Dizzie’s eyes just keep rolling around in this pretty much.

Empire of the Sun: ‘Walking on a Dream‘.

‘On and on and on we’re calling out and out again. Never looking down. I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me.’

One of my favourite songs at the moment. The window stays true to the album cover and the music video, and mannequin is dressed exactly like the singer Luke Steele. I would describe their visual style as Cosmic Exotica.. Their style is really unique..

Charlotte Gainsbourg: ‘Heaven Can Wait‘.

‘She’s sliding, she’s sliding, down into the dregs of the world. She’s fighting, she’s fighting, the urge to make sand out of pearls.’

I would watch the music video; it is so wierd. Otherwise I’m not sure what this window says, it echoes emptiness to me.

Paloma Faith: ‘Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?’

‘Do you want the truth or something beautiful? I am happy to deceive you.’

The window is mostly a vinyl room set on the glass, and a white chair has a red apple shaped candle on it. The way I see it the classic room is the truth and the tempting apple is the lie. I like the way different dimensions of the window have been used.

Marina and the Diamonds: ‘I Am Not A Robot‘.

‘You’re vulnerable, you’re vulnerable. You’re not a robot. Better to be hated than loved, love loved for what you’re not.’

I like the contrast of having an (ugly?) robot together with jewellery. All the props take a big part in all these windows and the product is hardly noticable. I wonder if that is a wise move commercially?

The Drums: ‘Best Friend‘.

‘You’re my best friend and then you died when I was twenty-three and you were twenty-five. You’re my best friend and then you died. And how will I survive?’

Here’s another band I like a lot at the moment. Check out the video, it is exactly like the window, just with the band in it.

The Big Pink: ‘A Brief history of Love‘.

Art work by Joe Rush and Alex Wreckage of the Mutoid Waste Co.

I like the song, and the window is so beautiful; I love the backdrop and the props make it darker and edgier.

Hot Chip: ‘I Feel Better

‘I only want one life. Together in our arms. This is the longest night. We’re meeting arms to arms.’

Another strange video..  But the window is cool and it incorporates felt shapes and lots of kiddies products. I have

The XX: ‘Stars‘.

‘But if stars, should’t shine, by the very first time, then dear it’s fine, so fine by me. ‘Cos we can give it time, so much time, with me.’

The X seems to be this band’s logo, which must explain the simplicity of the window.

Guess the Song at Selfridges

Selfridges, Oxford Street, London

Do you know your music? Selfridges are holding a competition, which is to guess what songs their street windows represent. You can enter at Selfridges.com and the winner will get £500 to spend on their online shop. I obviously don’t know my songs, because I found it quite hard, but thankfully the guy selling Big Issue helped me out a bit. Some I know, some need your help with. Put your guesses in the comment boxes with some You Tube links.

I like windows that really engage and make you think :).

All photographs by Andrew Meredith.

Lets start with the easy ones.

I automatically though Lady Gaga when I saw this, but that is not a song title. I do know this now so I won’t ruin it for you.

First I thought this is Natasha Bedingfield’s Single, but with the diamond rings and this amount of single girlies, I think it’s the other much played song..

This one I know as well, but you won’t have any fun guessing if I tell you. It’s quite easy. A very cool concept to incorporate red shoes into a scheme.

There are so many songs that say ‘la la la la’ so I find this one a bit tricky. There are red cherries and lips in this, so one of my guesses would be Cherry Lips by Garbage. although it doesn’t say ‘la la la’, so it can’t be that..  Also I found a song called Cherry Coke. It is not very well-known. Any ideas for this one?

I thought this could be Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet, because the text ‘Love’ is all around the merchandise. I could be wrong. What a classic song!

The text on the back wall says ‘Black’ and all the stock is black too. Some black paint is on the door. Those are your clues. What song title do you think it is?

The answer is right above. It is so easy if you’ve heard the song. That’s all of them. Put your guesses in the comments boxes. Selfridges also did windows based on current hit songs. Wait for that post in a couple of days!

A Cracking Christmas at Selfridges

Selfridges, Oxford Street, London

This year Selfridges have gone with a British panto theme (Cinderella, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk..) and it’s all theatrical and loads of fun, and very glam too. I love it!! All the windows are red with velvet curtains, teal and pink boubles, very garish strong colours. There’s facepaint on mannequins, lots of animal figures, lightbulb letters (how else would I describe them..?), union jacks..
They also sell panto themed products in store.