Visual Merchandising: Waste is the New Black

Waste is the New Black
The Future of Visual Merchandising

For upcoming seasons, a trend that will be seen everywhere is “Waste is the New Black.” This trend is all about sustainability and byproducts living a new life. It’s about being undone, not worrying about perfection and all about searching for connection. Stores that adopt this trend for their shop window and throughout the store will see many benefits as sustainable fashion is a huge topic of discussion today. The displays will be eye-catching to draw consumers into the store, the brand will be seen as having Corporate Social Responsibility because they will be aware of the issue, and they will be giving customers a call to action to shop sustainably.

The overall vibe of this interpretation of this theme is to have a neutral color scheme of nude, white, black, and subdued blues and greens. Plastic is the main material that will be used to show how overused plastic is used in all aspects of life. The props that will be used are plastic backdrops to cover the entire window display. Then there will be white branches with plastic bags stuck in the branches. These branches could be composed in a symmetrical fashion so that there is the same amount on both sides of the mannequins. Another option would be to create a pyramid composition so that there are two sets of branches and a mannequin in the middle and the heights of the branches will create a triangular shape with the mannequin's head at the top as the focal point.

Nude colored mannequins will be used for this window theme. They are unrepresented figures, so they aren’t human-like. The pros of this category are that because they are unrepresented they appeal to more people because they don’t look like a certain group of people.

Another pro is that there is a lot of freedom with designing the hair and makeup for them. For this theme, the mannequins will have big 70s hairstyles and white makeup looks. A con to using unrepresented mannequins is that since they don’t have a human-like face and features they might be more difficult for people to identify with.

When it comes to the materials and surfaces used it will be relatively simple. A cement, industrial floor will be used with a muted blue sky backdrop with clear plastic completely covering the floor, walls, and ceiling. Other materials used will be colors of the nude, black, and white color scheme. This theme can be used not only in the shop window but also throughout the rest of the store with the use of props. The theme is relatively simple so it would be easy and effective to use throughout the store. The proposed window setup would be used with a closed shop window to be able to cover everything in plastic. This trend would work at any type of store, but I would recommend it more for flagship stores or boutiques.

A couple of brands that this theme would be perfect for are Reformation, Stella McCartney, or Everlane. Stella McCartney was the inspiration brand for this theme. Their mission statement is: “​We are agents of change. We challenge and push boundaries to make luxurious products in a way that is fit for the world we live in today and the future: beautiful and sustainable. No compromises.”​ This mission corresponds with everything that “Waste is the New Black” is all about. This trend will have a lasting effect on the customers and will promote them to shop responsibly and sustainably.