Mannequins have been around for thousands of years, but their use in store displays is recent.
Like the ancient pharaoh, the kings and queens who care about their appearance will make a form of clothing according to their body size.
Court garment manufacturers or tailors will use the "costume form" to display and make the garment, thus avoiding any royal embarrassment during the try-on process.
The evolution of this old rough costume form in the Middle Ages until before the Industrial Revolution is unknown, as there are few written records and there are no examples of museums to study.
The Wickerwork mannequin has appeared in its 1700 s and is most likely filled with filler and leather. Wire-
The framed version came out in 1835, but there is still no mannequin for store display.
The invention of flat glass, silk lamps and sewing machines is a catalyst for putting a mannequin into a shop.
The installation of 1880 window glass in the retail space began, and the street lamp began to appear.
The improvement of sewing machines enables people to wear a large number of clothes.
The Industrial Revolution also created a new middle class that spent money on things that were previously only available to the royal family and landlords --
Fashion clothes!
More retail outlets have been opened and shopkeepers need models to showcase the latest fashions.
These early models of the human body are made of wax, wood, or heavy fabrics, and since they need to remain upright, their feet are made of iron.
Give them paper in shape
Méché and sawdust were used.
The result is therefore an expensive, difficult to maintain and very heavy object.
However, interest in fashion is so great that by the end of the century, mannequin has become the center of an emerging industry called "window decoration", which was later called "visual goods"
The appearance of the department store and its large window, behind these windows, the body models carrying the latest fashion can be appreciated by the crowd, which encourages window sharers to be both artistic and practical.
The mannequin slowly develops from a simple prop to a more realistic form to show the goods.
Human models of glass eyes, real hair and facial expressions begin to appear.
The First World War allowed millions of European men to fight, leaving women at home to do men's work.
This change has brought about a women's clothing revolution, where they have moved away from business and nepotism and adopted a smoother range of clothing.
In order to reflect these changes, human models are gradually becoming more vivid and realistic, but they will never be mistaken for being real.
It was not until 1930 and Lester Jabba that realism became everywhere.
Lester Jabba, a soap sculptor in New York, a large department store asked him if he could make some mannequin with more stable materials, with the same details and quality as soap.
He made six amazing specimens from the plaster, known as "gabagirls '".
Each of them had a name and attended a party at a famous hotel where they were dressed in beautiful clothes and jewelry
Society loves them!
Social celebrities also like Lester Jabba, who has developed an odd habit of walking around with a sitting model named Cynthia.
Cynthia took the cigarette in her hand, put her elbow on her knees, took a taxi, and appeared with Lester Jabba in a box at the Opera House, Stoke Club and many other famous venues.
The publicity is huge and the store is not able to get enough of the gabagirls or their imitators.
The Great Depression and World War II brought about shortages, and the shop window became rather dull, and the mannequin at that time looked a little melancholy and worried.
When the war ended, however, everything changed and by the end of 1940 the mannequin looked happy and prosperous, some of them even with a brilliant smile.
In particular, the male mannequin looks relaxed, and some even drill holes between lips to insert pipes!
In the 1950 s, new materials became possible, and by the end of 1960, real mass production of fiberglass and plastic mannequin became a reality.
Advances in technology have continued, so mannequin artists can now create any design imaginable and can only be limited by their creativity.
New York display is the leading manufacturer and distributor of American female mannequin, male mannequin, dresser, male mannequin and shop fixtures.
NYC Display Inc. 20 has been offering custom orders, leases and consultations for over 20 years.