by Erin Meade (Class of 2014)
The Iron Merchant visual merchandising competition was held at Maxwell Hall during Family & Friends Weekend. During the event, four teams were given a mannequin and about an hour to design and finish a concept inspired by “punk.” The teams also needed to include a “secret ingredient,” which was handcuffs.
As the announcers introduced the challenge, concepts were already going through my head. Once they said we could start....ready set go! I explained the concept I had in mind to the rest of my team to see if we were all on the same page -- and we were.
![Iron Merchant visual merchandising competition](https://info.limcollege.edu/hs-fs/hub/74633/file-363532648-jpg/images/vm_103013_3.jpg)
Each team member had a part they could design freely while keeping with the punk-inspired look. My team, the purple team, designed a fur structured/messy top clipped with safety pins and a skirt made of zippers. We finished it with a Mohawk, of course, and punk accessories.
![Iron Merchant visual merchandising competition](https://info.limcollege.edu/hs-fs/hub/74633/file-367035610-jpg/images/vm_103013.jpg)
The experience was amazing -- fast paced, energetic and fun. The displays all came together and reflected a punk look. It was great to see each team’s own aesthetic.
The purple team created the winning Iron Merchant display!
![Iron Merchant visual merchandising competition - purple team](https://info.limcollege.edu/hs-fs/hub/74633/file-362381989-jpg/images/vm_103013_2.jpg)