Affordables Partners with Art Institute Students for Live Window Display

Local women's apparel store, Affordables partnered with the Art Institute of Charleston to create a live window display at their King Street location during Second Sunday on King Street on Sunday, September 9, 2012. Second Sunday on King Street is a year-round event where King Street is closed off to vehicles while King Street shops display their inventory outside and restaurants bring their tables to the streets.

Students from the Visual Merchandising and Display class taught by Professor Kimberley McHenry-Williams created a “Spring into Fall Fashion” themed window where live models displayed how to transition Spring fashion into Fall fashion. Affordables president Zack Kelly aimed to create a unique, business experience for the students where they were able to execute a professional window display project from start to finish.

Kelly said, “We were so excited to partner with Kimberly and her class to give them a real-world experience in the local, fashion industry. This project really gave them a unique way to showcase their work to the thousands of people that attend Second Sunday.”

Kelly and Affordables employees visited Professor McHenry-Williams’ class on August 29, 2012 to see various designs that the fashion-merchandising student’s created. Three groups of students pitched their ideas for the Affordables window display during Second Sunday on King Street. Some of the ideas included a Wild West theme called ‘The Good, The Bad and The Trendy’ which included a live snake and a ‘Fall into Fashion’ theme that incorporated blowing wind and glistening fall leaves.

Affordables general manager Nora Innis said, “Each group had amazing ideas, but we knew that Group One’s ‘Spring into Fall Fashion’ theme was perfect for Affordables. We really liked their idea to have the live models modeling multiple outfits to demonstrate how to transition an article of clothing from Spring into Fall. The girls were so professional and went above and beyond to implement the design for the live window display.”  

Group One Students, Erikah Sisson, Kathleen Lovell and Courtney Gilliam created a window design to gear the store’s artistic direction, adhered to budget guidelines, and helped choose clothing for the models to wear as well as other project management roles.

Professor of Fashion and Retail Management, Kimberley McHenry-Williams said, “I always stress to the students that it is a matter of what the owners and managers like at the end of the project, most importantly whatever is accomplished in terms of the theme, it must be able to sell the merchandise and the store.”

“This was a very successful project and we thoroughly enjoyed working with the students. People walking down King Street loved it, and I think it brought something fresh and new to Second Sunday on King,” added Kelly.

To see pictures from the Affordables live window display visit www.affordablesapparel.com or the store’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AffordablesFashion.

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