Visual Merchandising: Business, Creativity, Science.

Visual Merchandising is still a mystery to some, but every window display you see and the environment of each shop you enter is all down to visual merchandising. I have long taught that it is a combination of business, creativity and science.

The science comes down to consumer psychology, walk into any clothes shop on a Saturday afternoon and you may not think it, but every single item of clothing and accessory has been placed in a specific location for a specific reason. The style, cut and colour of every item is arranged to make everything look as visual appealing as possible and the layout of the store is organised for you to have the best experience. Visual merchandising relies on an understanding of psychology, how people think and feel and it requires you to be creative in how you organise all the products instore, alongside having an understanding of fashion trends. The business aspect is ensuring that everything you do contributes to sales for the store and so also requires some mathematical skills. I spent years working as visual merchandiser for retailers such as Topshop and H&M, streetwear brands and independent boutiques and visual mechandising is key to all of them. It’s a creative, fast paced, physical and fun job to do. The Fashion Cultures Club can teach all aspects of the topic in a practical way through mannequin styling, creating concepts and moodboards and designing instore layouts.