Window Display Mannequins Factory

Window display

Window Display Mannequins: A Seasonal Planning Guide

How many figures a window needs, how far apart they should stand, which poses still read from the far side of the pavement — and a twelve-month calendar that works backwards from the day the window opens.

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Minimum order5 piecesPer model; poses can be mixed
Price, standard adult figureUSD 110–130Fibreglass, matte or gloss finish
Production lead time2–4 weeksAfter colour and pose approval
Payment30% depositBalance before shipment

Step one

Start with the window, not the mannequin

Every window problem looks like a mannequin problem and is almost never one. The number of figures you can use, the poses that will read and even the colour you should choose are decided by three measurements: glass width, floor depth from glass to back wall, and the height of the ceiling or the top of the glass.

A 4 m wide window with 900 mm of floor depth holds three figures comfortably. The same width with 1,800 mm of depth holds five, because the back row becomes visible. The same width with a 2,200 mm ceiling and a low glass line holds two, because anything taller than the sight line is cut off.

Table 1 — Three window types and what each one asks for
Type	Viewing distance	Figures at 4 m width	Lighting	Watch out for
Sealed glass on the street line	2–5 m	2–4	Track spots inside the glass, 3000–3500K	Reflections. A spot aimed at 45° upward bounces off the glass and hides the display
Open front no glass, walk-through frame	1–3 m	1–2	Ambient plus one accent per figure	Sight lines break as people pass. Fewer, larger gestures beat detail
Semi-open glass on two or three sides	3–8 m	3–5	Overhead wash plus rear accent	The rear face is lit by the shop, front by the street. Colour reads differently from each side

Single glossy white headless mannequin in a sealed shop window under one spotlight — A sealed window with one figure and one gesture. Gloss throws the spotlight back at the viewer, which is why sealed windows suit gloss and open fronts usually suit matte.

Step two

How many mannequins, and how far apart

Spacing is not a matter of taste. Figures placed closer than roughly half their own height read as one mass; figures placed further apart than their height stop relating to each other at all. The working rule is a gap of 0.6 × figure height, measured between centres.

For an adult figure that lands at roughly a metre; for a child figure it is closer to two thirds of that. The exact number matters less than applying it consistently — a window looks designed when every gap obeys the same rule, and filled when each one is eyeballed.

Apply the ratio, not a table. Measure the figure you are actually using, multiply its height by 0.6, and that is the gap between centres. Two figures of the same height use the same number; a taller figure takes a wider gap. Working in ratios means the rule still holds when you switch between a child figure and a tall male in the same window.

The count people regret is the fifth figure. Each additional mannequin costs roughly USD 110–130 plus styling time, and pulls attention away from the others. If the window needs a fifth figure to tell the story, the story is too complicated for a window.

Three spaced white mannequins seen from the pavement through a shop window — One metre of empty glass between figures. The gap is doing more work than the styling is.

Step three

Poses that still read from the street

Pose is a legibility decision. At 5 m, a viewer resolves a silhouette, not a gesture. At 2 m they resolve hands. Since most people pass at 2.5–4 m, poses need to work as silhouettes first.

Standing, one hand on hip: The most legible pose there is. It produces a closed triangle with a gap at the waist, reads at 8 m, and suits coats, tailoring and knitwear.
Walking: Reads well but needs space in the direction of travel: 400 mm minimum in front of the leading foot. Put a walking figure at the end of a group, never in the middle — it looks like the group is queuing to leave.
Sitting: Useful for lowering the eye line and for showing trousers. Risks reading as a stool display if the seat is visible; drape it, or choose a plinth the exact height of the seat.
Headless torso: Best for garment focus and for small windows. Removing the head removes judgement about the face and shifts attention to cut and fabric.

Three hand rules. One: never point a hand at the glass — it reads as an instruction to leave. Two: keep hands below shoulder height in a sealed window, or the upper arm will be clipped by the frame. Three: if two figures are close together, give their hands different jobs; identical hand positions make the pair look like a mirror.

Matte white mannequin standing with one hand on the hip, seen at distance through a window — The most legible pose there is: a closed triangle with a gap at the waist, readable from the far side of the pavement.

The core asset

The 12-month seasonal calendar

Production takes 2–4 weeks after you approve pose and colour. Sea freight to the US east coast, the US west coast or northern Europe takes 5–6 weeks door to door, plus customs. Add two weeks of buffer for a re-spray or a missed vessel and the real number is ten to twelve weeks before the window opens.

The table below works backwards from that. The "order by" column is the last date that keeps sea freight viable; after it, the options are air freight at three to four times the cost, or a stock model in a different colour.

Table 2 — Twelve windows, twelve order-by dates
Month	Window theme	Figures	Suggested figures	Order by
January	New-year reset, tailoring	2–3	Standing adult pair, matte white	Mid-October
February	Valentine, spring preview	2	Staggered pair, gloss finish	Early December
March	Spring colour	3	Trio with one torso form	Late December
April	Light layers, transitional	3	Trio, one walking	Late January
May	Summer preview	2–3	Sitting plus standing	Late February
June	Sale and holiday	2	Minimal pair, headless	Late March
July	High summer	2	Single plus torso	Late April
August	Back to school	3–4	Kids trio, low-medium-high	Late May
September	Autumn layering	3	Adult trio, matte	Late June
October	Halloween	2–3	Black figures, single spot	Late July
November	Christmas install	3–5	White or heritage palette	Late August
December	Holiday peak	3–5	Same set, restyled	Late September

Rule of thumb for the peak seasons. Christmas is ordered in August, Halloween in July, back to school in May. Every year, shops order in September for a November install and pay air freight for the privilege. Back to school sizing, Halloween themes and Christmas themes each go deeper.

Step four

Lighting and colour temperature

Mannequin colour is chosen under one light and judged under another, which is why windows that looked right in the workshop look grey on the street. Two numbers matter: colour temperature and beam angle.

3000K (warm) flatters skin-tone and gold finishes and makes white fibreglass look creamy. 4000K (neutral) keeps white reading as white and suits matte and semi-abstract figures. Mixing the two in one window is the most common reason a display looks dirty — the eye corrects for the brightest source and everything else shifts.

Beam angle decides whether you see a figure or a hotspot. A 24° beam at 2.5 m gives a pool about 1 m across, roughly one figure. A 36° beam covers a pair. Aim the beam at the shoulder, not the face: a lit shoulder reads as a person, a lit face reads as a mask.

Glossy grey mannequin shoulder lit by a single overhead track spotlight — A single overhead accent. The pool of light is roughly the width of the shoulders, which is a 24-degree beam at 2.5 m.

Worked examples

Three windows, itemised

Three real configurations, priced at the standard adult figure rate. Figures are indicative and exclude props, freight and installation labour.

Table 3 — Three window configurations and what each costs in figures
Window	Size	Figures	Props	Figure cost
The minimal pair sealed, gloss white	2.4 × 1.2 × 2.6 m	2	One plinth at 200 mm, no other props	USD 220–260
The tailoring trio sealed, matte	3.6 × 1.5 × 2.8 m	3	Two plinths, one hanging rail behind glass	USD 330–390
The season five semi-open corner	5.0 × 2.0 × 3.0 m	5	Two plinths, one prop cluster, one bench	USD 550–650

The smallest of the three is the one that most often wins on the street, because it finishes in under an hour, can be changed monthly without a fitter, and leaves two thirds of the glass empty.

Questions

Window display questions we are asked most

How often should a window be changed?

Every four to six weeks for a fashion shop, and at least every season for anything else. Regular shoppers stop seeing a window after about five passes; the change does not need to be expensive, it needs to be visible from the street.

Can these mannequins be used outdoors?

Only with the right finish. Standard fibreglass with a matte or gloss topcoat is an interior product. For a covered outdoor position, specify a UV-stable automotive-grade clear coat; for full exposure to rain and sun, plan on re-coating every 18–24 months.

Will they fade in a south-facing window?

White and pale figures yellow slightly under sustained UV; dark and gold finishes hold their colour longer. If a window takes direct sun for more than four hours a day, ask for the UV-stable clear coat and rotate the display every eight weeks.

How is the figure fixed to the floor?

Most window figures stand on a weighted base — glass, iron (round, square or tripod), or timber — with a felt or silicone pad, and need no fixing at all. Where building rules require it, a stainless base can be bolted through the floor; that is a landlord conversation, not a mannequin one. Which material suits which floor is covered in the bases and stands guide.

Can I rent instead of buy?

We supply; we do not rent. For a one-off event, a local prop house is usually cheaper than buying. For anything that repeats annually — Christmas, Halloween, back to school — buying pays for itself by the second or third season.

What is the minimum order and how long does it take?

Minimum order is 5 pieces per model, and poses can be mixed within that. Production is 2–4 weeks after you approve the pose and colour, depending on quantity and on how complex the pose and finish are. Custom poses need a new mould: 3D printing, mould making and the sample are charged, and the tooling cost is credited against the bulk order when it is placed. Payment is 30% deposit with the balance before shipment.

Tell us the window size and the season

Send the glass width, floor depth and ceiling height. We will send back a figure count, a pose mix and a delivered cost, usually within two working days.

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Add: A1#807, Tianan cyber building, Huangjin Road, Nancheng, Dongguan, China 523000.

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