Christmas in London: trending themes from top brands

From Christmas light switch ons and the highly anticipated release of brands’ annual holiday ads, to retailers getting in the spirit via their storefronts, this time of the year is filled with creative inspiration.

With window installations in particular becoming more and more experiential each year, our Project Executive, Seán Higgins headed out to key high streets in the capital to see what brands have been up to in this regard.

Seán found there were several common themes at play, and fairy lights and Christmas trees were used by most stores, in one way or another. He runs us through these below.

Creating motion and awe with animatronics

Always a reliable crowd-pleaser, animatronics allow stores to really bring their displays to life, and in my view, no shop on the London high street is doing it better than Hamleys. Even the smallest amount of motion added elegance and excitement to their display.

In the case of Hamleys this was achieved with a rotating Christmas tree that was tiered with various toys, a rotating Monopoly display, and a moving dinosaur and reindeer. This was the highlight of Regent Street for me, with queues of people lining up just to photograph the spectacle and then, of course, to go inside for a better look.

Harrod’s was the star of the show in Knightsbridge, with the entire store outlined with pulsing LED fairy lights. A gingerbread house theme runs throughout their different animatronic displays, with several different installations on show in their window. Other stores that utilised animatronics had moving nutcrackers, and mannequins with disco ball heads on display.

Catching shoppers’ attention via video screens and 3D

A popular feature of shop windows this year has been the use of a video screen positioned in and amongst layers of 3D set. Several shops are using this for both Christmas and non-Christmas displays, to showcase video footage in a way that catches the eye of passers-by.

Hamleys promoted licensed Avatar toys by using a screen that showed a looped ad of the upcoming movie, which was set behind layers of seabed decor. As well as that, it was made to look as though the entire bottom half of the window was submerged underwater, with additional themed decorations positioned above.

Other retailers utilised a similar feature window to display their regular stock. It added a sense of depth to the video and definitely made for a more interesting display. Above all, it made these displays stand out from other stores, many of which use bog-standard screens.

Surprising and delighting with festive themed performances

Live performances have proven to be by far the most exciting form of alternative display on the shopping streets of London this year. Fenwick provided one of the most engaging acts, with stilt-walkers dressed as candy canes drawing in crowds from streets over.

As well as this, an artificial snow machine added an exciting novelty to their shop front. The snow created a magical winter atmosphere on the entire street, with children laughing and cheering as they reached up to touch it.

An added bonus of this for Fenwick was that people were lining up to take photos with the performers, who were positioned directly in front of the shop logo, meaning some great exposure for the store.

Hamley’s also unsurprisingly embraced live performance as a way of enticing its customers. While walking past the store, customers had to push their way through to the front of the crowd, who were all waiting to see dance routines from Santa’s elves, which restarted like clockwork every few minutes.

After finishing, the elves wandered around the shop entrance and greeted children who had been captivated until then. All of the Hamleys staff were dressed head to toe in colourful red and green costumes, making the store interior resemble Santa’s workshop.

More than any other store, Hamleys focused on promoting fun over their products, and tapped into the childlike excitement of Christmas.

Incorporating products into Christmas decorations

Many stores took a creative approach to their Christmas decorations this year, using their own products in place of conventional decorations, as an innovative way to both showcase their stock, and decorate their store.

The stand-outs were the Onitsuka Tiger flagship store at Oxford Circus, and the Balenciaga store on Sloane Street. Onitsuka arranged a cluster of their running shoes into a hanging tree-like ornament, with foliage, stuffed animals and baubles filling in the gaps. It made for an eye-catching ornament for passers-by, and a unique stock display for their window.

Balenciaga took a similar approach, creating a Christmas tree in the centre of their store, which was made entirely of Balenciaga clothing. Amongst the luxury stores on Sloane Street, Balenciaga was the only one that went beyond the expected decorations of fairy lights and a Christmas tree at the entry.

Because of this, they stood out from all of their competitors with their unique display. Even in the few minutes I stood outside, I saw multiple people point out the tree to their friends and partners, highlighting that the creative spin on a conventional decoration was at the very least a conversation starter for customers.

Sequins, sequins everywhere…

One of the most popular textures used across displays and street decor was sequins. It allowed the shops using them to provide a glittery, attractive display feature, without relying on any electrical equipment such as LED’s.

Sequins were arguably the most eye-catching element of any display, as they were consistently the most visible from any kind of distance.

Several shops used sequin walls as backdrops for their store windows, as they created a glittery snow-like effect as a backdrop for mannequins. While not traditionally used as a Christmas decoration, they created a sparkly effect that was perfect for the winter theme.

Several stores used sequins on exterior walls and signs, which fluttered in the wind to produce an effect even more captivating than those set up indoors.

Festive delights at every turn

Overall, the most common themes spotted on the high streets were the types of items used in their displays. There were no prominent themes across stores in terms of the messaging portrayed by their displays, such as sustainability or charity.

Aside from the store's own window displays, the public street decorations were equally, if not more impressive. The stand out areas were Oxford Street, Regent Street, Sloane Street, and Carnaby Street.

All of these streets showcased magnificent overhead lights, and many of them had side streets with equally impressive installations. Everything from giant archways and Christmas trees to luminous snowflakes lined the streets of London to the delight of tourists and locals alike.

The atmosphere created by both storefronts and public street lights was magical to experience, and I would recommend that anyone wander the streets to take it all in.