Bench: Inspiring innovation

Ben Chan, Bench president

MANILA, Philippines - A store window should be... eye-catching and innovative. It must be able to effectively communicate the products/the message and it should appeal to the consumer’s imagination. A store window can be dramatic with a  story to tell.  It must be enticing as it should also be inspiring to attract the consumers to come in the store.  It should likewise reflect the brand’s personality.

Our store windows are inspired by... our collection, the target market and the seasonality, which all form part of our inspiration in creating our windows. We normally refer to trends and certain art forms with regard to its execution.

We are constantly innovating ways and means to present new concepts and the use of recycled materials when integrated with cause-oriented themes like  environmentalism.

 Our best window so far... I would say, would be our summer and holiday windows because these are the two major seasons within Philippine retail, which everyone pays attention to. These two seasons are heavily consumer purchase-driven, meaning there is high demand for products and there is stiff competition from other retailers. 

Because of this, we are constrained to create a more elaborate display using unique elements in every creative way possible. For example:  for our summer window, we incorporate a real van in the store or actual rowboats;  for our holiday windows, we employ kinetic devices to imitate interactive movement.

Our most unique window so far... would be our Blackout window. For this underwear show window, we utilized flashlights and recycled electrical wires. This is something that we have never really done and it’s unique not only in terms of props but also in terms of its significance to the theme as a whole. In this case, it works two ways:  one as a prop and the other as a symbol to the show.

 The dream window we have yet to do is... one that is purely interactive which would allow the consumers/viewers to be indirectly a part of the whole concept/display and one that would use modern technology such as touch screen, robotics or mechanization.  A window that is very high tech that would hopefully usher in a modern way of doing window display in the Philippines.