With its proven expertise in the retail industry, Huddersfield-based printer, Leach scooped the prestigious contract to supply and install this year’s Christmas window graphics for British brand Swaine, a celebrated purveyor of men’s and women’s luxury accessories including hats, bags, scarves and umbrellas.
With a rich heritage serving royalty, nobility and gentry since 1750, Swaine’s reputation for beautiful, handcrafted goods of exceptional quality has endured to the current day.
2022 saw the opening of a boutique Swaine store in Mayfair’s Burlington Arcade while a 650sqm flagship store in New Bond Street followed in Spring 2023. So, it was no surprise that for Christmas 2023, Swaine planned a decadent display that harked back to its heritage whilst simultaneously enticing contemporary consumers.
The House of Swaine designed a playful window display for both stores centred around the theme of gentleman’s games. Backgammon checkers, cards, chess pieces, dominoes and dice were to be nestled amongst quaint cut-out figurines of aristocratic Victorians, top hats, hot air balloons and antique motors.
To create Swaine’s vision, Leach crafted in excess of 150 printed elements in a range of materials to dress both locations. These included colourful vinyl-wrapped backdrop panels, templated plinth flooring and hand painted 3D structures in various shapes and sizes, a delicate aspect of the project that involved bespoke joinery work.
Adding a classical festive touch, suspended gold and pink stars were added to the window displays by way of a bespoke hanging structure installed in the space above. Lengths of acrylic tubing descended from the structures which were each bonded to a metal star, as well as a few clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds. The hanging structures are permanent – but reusable – fixtures. Encompassing a system of rails and hooks, these enable Swaine to create varied effects with every new campaign, positioning suspended graphics in different places and at different heights.
From start to finish, the project was completed in less than one week, with artwork proofing, quality checking and production expedited to take only five days. The installations were completed overnight over a single weekend to minimise disruption to staff and shoppers at a busy time of year and ensure the Christmas campaign was unveiled by mid-November.
So impressed is the team at Swaine that Leach has been appointed to dress the brand’s windows in January 2024. Indeed, Max Karie, Swaine’s visual Merchandiser, commented “I’m over the moon with the entire installation and the quality of the kit supplied.”
You can contact Leach for window displays for your store, on 01484 551200 or visit weareleach.com.