STORE DISPLAY WINDOWS AS REFLECTIONS OF TRENDS: Eco-Friendly Stores by Chiara Colmegna

More and more fashion and design brands are adopting a sustainable approach in the creation of their collections and products. This trend is also reflected in the set up of their store windows. Learn more in our article.

Recycling and Sustainability in the World of Retail

For several years now, a sustainable approach has been a must for businesses, especially the retail world. Shops have also had to adapt by creating and setting up eco-friendly collections and embracing the philosophy of recycling and sustainability. We also see this in the tradeshow White in Milan, which has included a section dedicated to sustainable fashion.

Sustainable shop windows

Shop windows, which are the first part of a store the public sees, reflect this trend. Retail businesses are increasingly designing their shop windows to promote ecologically friendly products and to raise consumer awareness. Shop windows with metal, wooden or cardboard displays are becoming very common.

A good example is Benetton’s 2021 Florence store setup, which is destined to hit all the brand’s stores. The low-environmental-impact displays use natural, recycled materials: on the floor we find gravel from the Piave river and wood from beech trees that fell down in the 2018 Vaia storm, and the walls are painted with mineral paint. Replacing classic mannequins in the store windows are transparent LED screens that show off the brand’s collections while optimizing energy savings.

Then there are the special biodegradable mannequins designed by Bonaveri, a leading manufacturer of high-end mannequins, which were used for the Stella McCartney window displays in London. These mannequins are made of BPlast®, a natural plastic created with sugarcane and painted with a natural paint made with renewable organic substances. The brand has also set up decorative panels made from paper waste from the brand’s offices, wooden sculptural elements, and LED panels.

Chiara Colmegna