LIM College

LIM College is located in the heart of New York City. Having the opportunity to walk on 5^th Avenue every day on our way to class we are exposed to many major retail environments. And, as a Visual Merchandising student, it is extremely important to always be aware of the latest trends in store design and display.

There seems to be some trends among the new retail stores opening up on 5^th Avenue, including 3 retail stores that are relatively new to the environment - H&M, Uniqlo and Joe Fresh. All located within only a few short blocks from each other, there are a lot of similarities in how their stores are displayed. All three of these stores are moderately priced, fast-fashion retail stores.

The first item that seems to be a trend in these stores are the huge glass window storefronts that allow the passing customer to see inside of the store. Instead of having enclosed window displays, this setup allows people from the outside to look directly in at the merchandise. If these stores do create a window display it is located 2 or 3 floors above the ground-level window. 

The second ongoing trend that I notice at all three of these retail stores is an overabundance of repetitive mannequins. This type of setup allows for getting a ton of merchandise shown and giving the customer multiple options. Uniqlo has an estimated 350 mannequins throughout their store. H&M is planning to open its largest retail store that will be located on Fifth Avenue and will house an overabundance of mannequins on display.  Joe Fresh, for a limited time only, is housing an exhibit of 19 legendary Ralph Pucci mannequin designs.