Our History
Proportion London descends from Siegel and Stockman. Founded in France in 1867 by Frederick Stockman, he began trading in Great Britain in the early 1920s, manufacturing hand-crafted Papier-mâché bust forms and torsos for workrooms, couture house design studios and dressmakers' showrooms.
During the early part of the 20th century, department stores became big retail business introducing the need for bust forms and display figures for their professional window-trimming teams. This led to a huge increase in business and diversification into more display fixtures and fittings.
Come the 1950s and 60s, figures began to be produced in fibre glass, which was considered much more robust and gave a greater definition to the anatomic details of the mannequins. The company embraced this new production technique and has continued to manufacture in these two materials.
Changing the brand name in the 1990s, Proportion London continues to practice the original artesian techniques and craftsmanship, using their library of original shape moulds and early archive material.
Today, we nurture an international portfolio that spans respected high street and high-end brands to world-class museums.
Kesslers
Proportion London has recently been acquired by the award-winning retail expert based in London, Kesslers International. Kesslers was founded in 1893 with a flair for adapting to the needs of a changing market and hasn’t stopped growing since, finding new areas for the implementation of its expertise to deliver unique displays, pop-up shops and in-store experiences for brands globally.
The acquisition of Proportion London is an opportunity for further development of Kesslers’ mannequin offering, that will support the company in its ambition to increase its foothold in the visual merchandising sphere. This expansion underscores Kesslers’ intent to grow in the areas that strengthen its offering and specialism to retailers and brands. Proportion London offers an exciting opportunity to introduce Kesslers to a new range of fashion brands to develop relationships and long-lasting synergies.
Daniel Astarita, Sales & Marketing Director, comments: “We are lucky to have acquired a brand with so much heritage, bringing with it a strong brand image, reputation and high-quality standards. I am sure that Proportion London will bring an exciting chapter to the Kesslers story, augmenting the services that we provide and together will be able to continue to develop and continue to strengthen our position in the marketplace.”
Our facility
Kesslers International is located in Stratford, London, on the edge of the London Olympic Park. A purpose-built facility where the Kesslers and Proportion team are able to design, engineer and manufacture almost any substrate and assemble them together into stunning display pieces, managed seamlessly by a passionate band of account and project managers. Experienced teams of sculptors, model makers and artists ensure that every detail of Proportion’s product is perfect. Crafting from the finest materials to create entirely handmade high-quality innovative display solutions for leading high-end, high street brands and museums making Proportion London globally unrivalled with a particularly extensive far east supply chain.
Clients
We craft mannequins, bust forms, and accessories for high-end and high street brands, as well as museums and public attractions. Examples of clients we work with are listed below.
Alexander McQueen
All Saints
Belstaff
Ben sherman
Berlutti
Boden
Browns
Burberry
Calvin Klein
Charles Tyrwhitt
Charlotte Olympia
Chloe
Christian Dior
Christian Louboutin
Coach
Dolce & Gabanna
Debenhams
Harvey Nichols
Harrods
Hermes
Hobbs
Joe Browns
John Lewis
Karen Millen
Lane Crawford
Liberty
Louis Vuitton
Liberty
National Museum of Scotland
Nordstrom
Maison Margiela
Mulberry
Marks and Spencer
Metropolian Museum of Art
Paul Smith
Ralph Lauren
Rick Owens
Primark
Rag & Bone
Reiss
Rick Owens
Selfridges
Simone Rocha
Ted Baker
The White Company
Thomas Pink
Topshop
Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria Beckham
Vivienne Westwood
Warner Bros. Studio