The Collection of Clothing & Its Visual
Merchandising.
Galun Dmitry
Visual
merchandising exists only when there is a product that should sold. How can the
cause-effect relationship between the collection and its visual presentation
line up? There are two scenarios
in practice. The idea of
the collection prevails
in the first one. The task of visual
merchandising is to convey
this one to the ultimate consumer
and reveal it in his
eyes completely. Primarily,
this approach to the visual presentation
is applicable for "premium"
and "luxury" range clothing
and footwear. Here, the process
of consumption is associated with the
motives of prestige and status at
the most, when the designer name is
widely known and the purchaser joins
to a range of clients and celebrity circle while buying his authorship clothes or shoes. In such a way, the
main source of information and instruction to act is the collection show
(catwalk) to which the sets (looks) are arranged by stylists with the
participation and coordination of the designer. These looks reflect its essence
most clearly and can be considered the most commercial for selling to wholesale
buyers and private clients. Merchandisers also use the image of advertising campaign, in which the most recognizable collection articles or
MPI category goods directed into
production in large numbers at
a price weighted, i.e. the products
of strategic importance in the sales
are featured. Deviations from these looks
are possible only in an emergency,
related to the lack of assortment or size at
the presentation of the goods inside
the trading hall and the windows of the store. To
avoid such a situation, manufacturers
supply often products to retail network,
or oblige the buyers to place a product order for the windows. In that case the window is regarded as an advertising space and an integral part of the campaign. Window products
are not sold during the whole period of its existence in this
situation.
Another
reason for the limited possibilities of visual merchandising methods of “premium" and "luxury" class clothing and
footwear is the intervention of the
chief designer and creative director in the process, as they are responsible
for the control of almost all phases of product life cycle (Fig. 1).
There are some
reasons why strategic and active
visual merchandising is usually out of strict branding bounds
for visual presentation
of mass consumption items. The
first reason is the inability to
limit the visual merchandising by advertising campaign image through a far large number of models
in a season collection. The second reason lies in the mixing of products
with different delivery terms. This complicates
to produce the set in retail conditions. The third reason is in
the removal or transformation of
the models on the results of
the order or production, thus linking to them during the presentation is pointless. As for active merchandising, color and
style solutions can be used more
commercial than those that are offered at catwalks
and advertising shooting. Various
volumes of delivery and store areas should also be considered, when planning operational activities for visual presentation. In accordance
to supply volume visual presentation can
be completely changed both within
the color theme, and by mixing articles from themes offered by design center as different. Thus, there is a second scenario, when the visual merchandising
presentation is aimed at providing the maximum commercial success
of the collection.
Figure
1. Directory visual merchandising made under the guidance of creative director of Celine, Fibio Philo
About the author
• Last name, first name in full. Galun Dmitry
• Degree (if any). Ph.D.
• Name of educational institution. Moscow State University for Design and
Technology
• E-mail address. galund@mail.ru
• Mailing address (be sure to index). 107 113, Moscow, Russia, 3d Rybinskaya 1/40-41