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Selfridges unveiled its Christmas windows on Thursday October 22, claiming to be the first department store in the world to do so.
The retailer’s 2015 festive theme is Journey to the Stars. Using the symbolic Christmas star as inspiration, Selfridges has focused on constellation and astrology as the main creative drivers throughout the store.
Selfridges’ flagship branch in London features 12 window displays on Oxford Street, which highlight the 12 signs of the zodiac (pictured is Gemini). Presented in a highly stylised way, each window references the relevant planets influencing the zodiac signs. The largest window is triple-sided, at the corner of Oxford Street and Orchard Street, and showcases a giant, fully rotating orrery of the solar system made to scale with help from Greenwich Observatory. It is believed to be one of the largest ever made.
Journey to the Stars, which runs until December 24, features online at Selfridges.com and across all four Selfridges stores (Oxford Street, London; plus Trafford Centre, Manchester; Exchange Square, Manchester; and Bullring, Birmingham). The scheme was over a year in development, with the London window displays alone taking over 500 people to set up and the in-store decorations over 30,000 hours to install.
Customers can also ‘shop by star sign’ to find the gifts recommended for their zodiacal character traits or that of their loved ones and visit a psychic and mystical adult grotto called the Astrolounge. Located on the lower ground floor of the London store, it offers psychic readings, a psychic school, mystic workshops, birth chart tee-shirts, and hundreds of exclusive zodiac and constellation-themed products.
Selfridges creative director Linda Hewson said: “We are very excited about our festive Journey to the Stars theme, which has allowed us to creatively explore the realm of constellation and astrology. They are timeless and relentlessly fascinating to so many people. Above all, the theme gave us the opportunity to design startling displays, in-store experiences and product collaborations full of sparkle, stardust and fun. We are sure our customers will love how we brought it all to life in our windows and in-store.”
