“A window shop is a mise en scène ,” describes Héctor Navarro, professor at the Centre Superior of Fashion Design of Madrid (CSDMM), “whose ultimate goal is to place value on the pieces exhibited, creating a set that seeks to catch the interest of the passer-by “. During the Urban Fashion Festival MADRID ES MODA this “staging” goes to contest, in a competition promoted by the City of Madrid which has two categories: Professional, developed by the staff of the participating spaces, and Novel, in which creators serve as inspiration for the window shops made by Design students.
Both categories abound in what Alberto Antón, of the Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid, defines as “a double-edged tool”, because “the brand has the challenge of projecting its philosophy, values and its essence and, at the same time, it must create a space that is attractive enough to attract the public and boost sales. ” A dichotomy that is included in the Rules of the Competition as valuable elements: “Each design and decoration project must meet essential criteria of quality, commercial image and presentation of the product, creativity, lighting, modernity and innovation.”
In this second edition, in the Professional category, the window shops of 44 Studio, Andrés Sardá, Devota & Lomba, Juan Brea, Miguel Marinero, Pedro del Hierro, Roberto Verino and Sita Murt, have participated.
In the Novel category, the Festival has multiplied the participating schools by two, with the CSDMM, the School of Fashion and Business (ESME), IED Madrid and the Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM). Also the spaces and designers: in the Iberostar Las Letras Gran Vía Hotel with exhibits by Ailanto, Jorge Vázquez, Leyre Valiente, Menchén Tomàs, Miguel Marinero and The Stoat, by IED Madrid students; and Dolores Cortés and María Lafuente, by ESME students. In the Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM) with exhibits by Devota & Lomba and Maya Hansen, by the students of the ETSAM. And at the Room Mate Alicia Hotel, the CSDMM has dressed its windows with creations by Beatriz Peñalver, Juana Martín and Lebor Gabala. For all this we have been sponsored by mannequins signature label Marcelo Vilá and global décor retail brand Ikea, especially with its new lighting line Smart Lighting.
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The competition has been a great challenge for students and schools, since it was necessary to “create a universe where the garments are protagonist, avoiding chaotic proposals with an excessive number of decorative elements”, says Antón. An investment that Navarro exemplifies in the window shop of Lebor Gabala: “the inspiration in the Thousand and One Nights used by the designer becomes the reference to create an altar built with dispensers of plastic bags and curtain rods… This article is decontextualized and becomes the building module that, together with the golden paper, acquires a great visual appeal “.
The Window Shop Competition is for the participating students a way to learn and, at the same time, to compete for a prize of €500 and a mannequin by Marcelo Vilá (€ 1,000 and a mannequin, in the case of the Professional category). Elena Alonso, an ESME student who signs the showcase for Dolores Cortés, tells of her experience: “From this work I learned to carefully observe details of the clothes that contribute fluidity and coherence to the collection, since, although they are very different garments there is always something that unites them. Additionally, I have learned to draw inspiration from the designs that were attached to me to be able, on a budget, to choose the props that would most draw public attention to the clothes in my window shop. “[:]
