Over the years, PressOn have worked with a number of recognisable clients – but as household names go, few of our long-term partnerships have led to as many unique and unusual projects as Harrods, in London. PressOn have printed and installed a huge variety of graphics, for a number of different brands, at the store, and we thought we would highlight a few of our favourites from 2019.
Throughout 2019, PressOn have worked on a number of projects for high-end retailers; this has been a year filled with luxury print projects for some of the world’s most iconic brands, and we’ve compiled a few of our favourite standout jobs to showcase what we’ve had the pleasure of working on. The brands in these projects have chosen PressOn for our skill, experience, and cutting-edge machinery; these jobs have given us a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the power of print…
Fendi
Founded in 1925, Fendi is an iconic luxury fashion house from Rome (they were even responsible for funding the restoration of the iconic Trevi Fountain in 2015…) In June of 2019, they worked with Harrods on a ‘store takeover’ in London, for which PressOn were contracted to print and install a series of eye-catching and elegant graphics.
As part of the takeover, Fendi branded the exhibition windows on the store’s exterior, an area within ‘shoe heaven’, the 5th floor café, and – perhaps most excitingly – the whole of Harrods’ iconic Egyptian Staircase.
As part of this project, PressOn were involved in printing and installing a range of graphics, to support the Fendi takeover, and help transform the aesthetic of the department store to align it with Fendi’s branding. This included logos, which were cut (rather than printed) from matt black vinyl and installed on the escalators, and a range of printed media including hoarding graphics.
One of the most challenging aspects of this project was the turnaround on the graphics for the exterior hoardings. As essential construction works were taking place on the exterior of the store, Fendi knew that the plain green hoardings would provide an excellent canvas for a series of additional graphics to support their branding.
PressOn had very limited time for the production and installation of the graphics, with the latter taking place over just two 5-hour periods across two evenings. These, along with a series of ACM column panels, came together with all of the other graphics pictures here (printed on our fantastic HP Latex 3600 printer) to completely transform the appearance of the legendary department store for the duration of Fendi’s mini takeover.
Dior
Following Fendi’s takeover, PressOn were tasked with an incredibly fast turnaround for one of the most dramatic, rapid, and seamless installations we’ve been involved in at Harrods. In a single night, the graphics that we had installed for Fendi were removed, and replaced with a series of impactful and impressive printed PressOn produced for another luxury brand – Dior.
The graphics are powerful, disruptive, and seamlessly aligned to Dior’s most recent marketing and branding campaign. A multicoloured tartan design was printed and installed across a range of formats which included window teasers, ceiling graphics, and wrapped columns.
This project involved a technical challenge, in the matching of various substrates. Different printing material is sometimes required across different surfaces, and ensuring precise colour and visual continuity requires a wealth of technical experience, and a variety of appropriate machinery – something PressOn are well known for their ability to provide. When working with luxury brands such as Dior, this precise and flawless finish is essential, and this is precisely the reason PressOn were chosen for this project.
For the various different substrates involved in the project, we also made use of the latest addition to the PressOn print room – the R2000 series flatbed hybrid from HP. To achieve the top shelf results required, only the most effective machinery can guarantee results, and working with this incredible piece of equipment has enabled PressOn to achieve the very finest results.
Fine Jewellery Room/Brompton Road Windows
The interior of Harrods itself is something many shoppers with a taste for luxury will be familiar with. The department store features a wide range of floors, offering everything from fine art to designer clothing. One department which is well known for its aesthetic is the fine jewellery section, and in 2019 PressOn were contracted to install a series of graphics to tie the space together, create a sense of flow, and provide an elegant interior ambience.
The fine jewellery section of Harrods features recognisable and irreplaceable walls made of onyx – we’re used to installing graphics onto challenging surfaces, but it’s rare that PressOn have the opportunity to work with such an exquisite canvas!
The artwork for this installation featured a complex and varied pattern of floral designs, which needed to be printed and installed at various sizes, across different areas of multiple rooms. This presented a unique challenge for PressOn, in ensuring that the graphics flowed seamlessly and smoothly throughout the entire space.
The solution involved creating something akin to a giant ‘jigsaw puzzle’, with PressOn compiling a complex and detailed floor map with various markers for the different printed pieces. Following this plan, our installers were able to piece together a set of wallcoverings that tie the entire space together. Once again using our outstanding machinery from HP, we were able to print and install a series of designs that are worthy of this high-end department in the landmark store.
