Between Fashion and Marketing, there is style, decided by the Visual Merchandiser

We continue with our column dedicated to style professionals.

After having touched the theme of interior design with  Franco Driusso and having discovered what means to be a Food Designer with Valentina Pozzobon, today we enter the world of fashion with a Visual Merchandiser.

We met Elisa Morandin, a true professional of style, who focuses her entire academic and working career in the fashion world  becoming one of the Visual Merchandisers of the well-known H&M brand.

From her we tried to understand what style means in the fashion field and also to see how design and aesthetics combined with functionality are universal paradigms, recognized and sought by all the professionals of the style, whatever their field.

Finally, we also entered Elisa's house, where we can see right from the first glance how much the furniture she has chosen reflects her concept of style.

Elisa, you graduated from IED in Fashion Design, you taught at the Milan Academy of Luxury and for many years you have been a Fashion Designer. Today you are Visual Merchandiser for H&M, you have passed from pure creativity to the research of the right agreement between fashion and marketing.

Can you tell us more about the key role of the Visual Merchandiser in the fashion industry?

It is a role that is concretized in a very practical way within the stores, but behind every action that I carry out every day, there is a well-defined strategy, which is often studied in teams, and which has two purposes: to help the client to find their style and the outfit that suits them, but also implement real marketing strategies to increase the sales.

So you always work on two fronts and with two goals that must lead to a single result.

In my role I always have to follow the aesthetic sense and find new ways to express fashion trends, but also follow the strategy, linked to the principles of marketing and sales. It takes attention to detail and a lot of ability to balance the two functions, but when you reach the goal the result is very clear: it affects sales and is manifested outside, among the people who wear my brand. Fashion and marketing have many points in common. In both cases it is about revealing to the public how to find their own style. Everything must be studied in this sense, from the windows to the departments. Daily and several times a day a Visual Merchandiser checks that all items are arranged so that they suggest complete combinations and outfits, from head to toe.

A theme that is very dear to Skema is the concept of moodboard. Do you also find it in your area?

The moodboard is the tool par excellence of the creatives. Fashion lives in moodboard because it allows you to combine colors, textures, sensations, and thus give life to new proposals and new creations. An instrument that becomes a way of working, not only as regards the creation of outfits, but also the same exhibition space. Because when you enter a fashion store, you enter a world that expresses itself through all the senses and undoubtedly everything  revolves around the concept of beauty. A Visual Merchandiser must always be an expert of beauty.

And how can you learn beauty?

Personally there are two paths that I follow: the first is through social media, in particular Instagram, where you can find ideas and suggestions from all around the world. The other way is to see what the market offers in concrete terms, visiting different countries and discover new shops and new windows.

What is your concept of beauty and how do you translate it in concrete terms?

My concept of beauty is linked to the game between harmony and contrast. But above all beauty is something instinctive, it is an element that you can perceive even among many different styles.
But it is also a path in continuous evolution, today for me, for example, beauty is reflected in my personal search for essentiality. It is therefore natural that it embraces the Nordic style, but it has not always been like this. Because the pursuit of beauty is a factor very linked to the culture from which we come, to our inner journey, to the emotions and moments of life.

We talked about fashion, moodboards and styles. Is all this reflected in your home? And if so, how?

It is natural that this search for beauty and this desire to express my creativity pours out a little in everything I do. And if my passion is fashion, I could only dress my house according to my style rules.

And so we entered Elisa's house: the pink tones chase each other between the rooms, where original elements often created by Elisa stand out; harmony is given by the choice of using neutral colors in the various environments, the character emerges in the choice of colored and unique elements, like the bed made of colored pallets, the paintings and prints hanging in the bathroom or even pop-styled ornaments that decorate the environment with irony and freshness.

What we found in the furnishings, details and combinations is its character and its original taste. Spaces lived and personalized, but where a style and a precise story emerges. A true practical demonstration of a style professional who has adopted the concept of moodboard applied in the all aspects of life.