NOTE: We are switching blogging platforms to offer you an exciting and new Fashion Limbo - normal services will be resumed soon, in the meantime, our latest post:
Versace window front in Marbella, Spain
Times are tough but that's nothing new. We all had to adjust our spending, search for spare change in our pockets. Personally I've had to set myself a very limited budget, search for cheaper options of everything I buy and wait for the sales or special promotions to add anything to my wardrobe.
However, either at weekend or any late afternoon during the week, I take a stroll around the high street and stores are full. H&M has long queues at the till - seriously, now they're just doing it on purpose ;) - Zara is selling out on the "it" items featured on celebrities or the blogosphere. Go to Topshop and you will find the same buzz, the same shopping frenzy. While financial experts will claim that there is a decrease in the money spent and lower values of UPTs (units per transaction), the truth is that said brands are in no danger of going into administration. They will not be disappearing from our high streets.
What is under true threat is the independent retailer, those shops that strive to offer something different: unique and inspiring products and a lot of the time, excellent customer service. Some have already disappeared, others are limiting themselves to an online existence. Others are powering through with their ideals, coping with the competition and many are producing stunning Visual Merchandising, this is, the way a shop shows off its merchandise, how the products are shown in windows, store displays and so on.
Look at it this way: you go in one Mango in Glasgow and it looks like the one in Malaga, or the one in Antwerp. Stores that are not part of a big chain are upping their game and while a shop like River Island may look more or less the same everywhere, independent business are expressing themselves freely, in an attempt to separate themselves from popular super brands and offer us something extremely unique and worth purchasing.
Below are just a couple of examples of Visual Merchandising that I have loved in the past year.
OME in Soho, Lower Manhattan, NYC
La Habitacion de Kate in Malaga, Spain
With regards to the popular brands, if you go to London, their windows are visually stunning, but then stores at Oxford Street are playing at a crazy level. I do remember walking into Mango's shop in Liege (Belgium) and been blown away by how much effort had been placed on the visual side of the business.
I love walking into independent stores and being surprised by their fantastic product display. It invites me to shop, that is true. What do you think, does the visual side affect your shopping? Or do you just buy the brand you like even if the store looks like a messy warehouse?
Pictures: Fashion Limbo