London Mannequins and Displays 2025 Highlights
December 17, 2025
Now 2025 is quickly coming to an end, the team are having a look back at all the iconic moments over the year. Some incredible
2025 was a year filled with exceptional stores, window displays, and of course – fashion. Visual merchandising in London proves every year it is an absolute creative force. Now that the year has come to an end, what are the in-store display trends every London brand should prepare for?
Consumers still crave a powerful visual merchandising display. This includes powerful storytelling, recognisable branding, and perfectly styled mannequins to enhance the story. These factors contribute to a rise in footfall, sales, brand loyalty, and positive word of mouth both in person and online. Clients that are looking to buy a mannequin can also follow this guide as a great starting point for the new year.
As a heritage mannequin manufacturing brand, we have over 130 years of experience in the fashion and retail industry. Spotting a trend is second nature to us. What can you expect to see in 2026 for visual merchandising and mannequins? Let’s break it down here 👇
Sticking to reliable factors when ordering items is important when anyone buys something new. This can include ordering from a trusted brand, style, or feature. When updating visual merchandising in stores or window displays, starting off with familiar features before exploring ways to improve can be a great way to start. For example, if you are a heritage brand, continuing to work with articulated arms and a tea-stained colour material is a reliable style that you can further explore from. Refurbishing, and re-ordering will continue to be a starting point for mannequins of the future.
As displays become more of an omni-channel experience, it’s only a matter of time until key parts of VM such as mannequins are also included in this. While we feel it may be a while before mannequins turn into moving animatronics, there will likely be more forms that partner with technology. This can include spaces for QR codes, lighting projections on mannequins, or moving parts that are intertwined with mannequins. We expect to see some more advanced displays work with mannequins in the future.
Basic mannequin designs work well for specific brands, fitting in with a modern minimalistic aesthetic. Classic bust forms and vintage style mannequins are all classic designs for more traditional brands. However, visual merchandising in London is going in the direction of storytelling, and impactful styles. This means mannequins will be made to fit the story of the windows. Custom designs can be expected to pop-up more to work with carefully planned designs over the seasons. These mannequins go beyond retail, and are designed and crafted to be a part of an overall story.
The world of fashion never sits still. New trends are popping up often, and both female mannequins and male mannequins must keep up to show off these styles. A common trend that has stuck during each different trend is flat shoes and trainers. This trend doesn’t affect parts such as mannequin heads, but it’s clear including flat feet to accommodate will be a big focus.
No matter the season, year, or trends, shop mannequins are an important part of representing brands and exciting features such as new clothes or accessories. A large part of what makes fashion stores exciting is inviting shoppers who pass by to look into their world. Having stylised mannequins to match the fashion world help create that feeling, modelling inspiration to shoppers through powerful yet fashionable poses.
The future of mannequins reflects how in-store display trends will manifest next year, and the main trend will be story-telling with all other trends feeding into this overall. How can you create an impactful window whilst staying true to your brand and inspire shoppers to stop, explore, and talk about this? Here are some ways you can explore this for your store:
London springtime is a hugely popular shopping period because the cold winter months are gone and shoppers are excited to be out and about again. Brands will often focus on traditional features such as florals. Modern brands can go bold yet minimalistic, having mannequins sitting or leaning against giant flowers for example. How can your display celebrate different seasons across the next year?
Omni-channel can be as easy as sharing your brands social media pages. If your store windows are inspiring enough, customers will want to share what they have seen with their own social media pages. Placing where to share or where to connect online after connecting in-person allows for customer loyalty. This helps to promote footfall through word of mouth and creates a positive brand association. Your mannequin can point to it, if it’s a big activation!
Brands are continuing to explore ways to integrate sustainable practices into their work, it’s important to shoppers, and brands who are forward thinking and innovative. Sustainable practices are still fairly new to mannequins, however there are ways that allow brands to keep their preferred mannequins while also being completely eco-friendly and a major improvement on the environment. At Proportion London, our sustainable mannequin range EcoForm reduces C02 by 97% as compared to traditional fibreglass mannequins, all while being recyclable, biodegradable and still containing the same level of expert craftsmanship and sturdiness.
At Proportion London, we are excited to see what creativity will bloom in 2026, and are on hand to support brands in both mannequins, and visual merchandising. Our team can flag some key ways to upgrade your current mannequins to fit your brand style and display goals.
If you are interested in exploring options, reach out to the team for more information. Our experts have been working with iconic brands for over 100 years, and are excited to continue seeing brands shine in the new year.
See all past projects here for more inspiration.
Contact the team directly with this link here
Mannequins on the shop floor will have some damage after a while due to the nature of a busy store. It’s recommended you get your mannequins refurbished after a busy season to pro-long their life. Replacing mannequins entirely should be when big design changes are made, such as a seasonal display or new collection launch to properly reflect the display.
Yes! Every single one of our mannequins is available in EcoForm, our award winning sustainable range. EcoForm is fully recyclable, biodegradable, and reduces your carbon emissions by 97% compared to traditional fibreglass mannequins without having to sacrifice the same sturdy nature or artisan level crafting.
Now 2025 is quickly coming to an end, the team are having a look back at all the iconic moments over the year. Some incredible
As London’s streets light up for the festive season, retailers are refreshing their window and in-store displays. From scarves and jewellery to handbags and hats,
Most brands are looking to find a mix of innovative in-store experiences and their core values, leading to a key driving factor of sustainable practices.