These Creepy Mannequins Are Freaking Everyone Out
River Island’s in-store mannequins have lit the Twitter-verse on fire (of course).
The London-based fashion brand has always had a unique in-store aesthetic, but customers have recently called out that the in-store mannequins look like sad goths who are “hungover” and reconsidering their life choices. The figures in question hold their knees to their chest and gloomily focus downward, looking very emo. Twitter seems to think they look like upset, door-slamming teenagers.
the river island mannequins look like they're hungover in the shower thinking about their life choices. u ok hun pic.twitter.com/OnWYg39O0z
— Griffskiing Accident (@griffski) October 24, 2016
I really empathise with this mannequin in River Island pic.twitter.com/ip5mixf9HG
— baby leaf spinechill (@rosajones24) September 19, 2016
@griffski #riverisland mannequins look like particularly huffy teenagers that need to drop the attitude and stop slammimg doors ????
— Romsmom (@indiegirl101) October 24, 2016
@griffski @TheDailySchmuck Yeah they all look depressed af.
— Cougar Goddess Erica (@cougarcallgirl1) October 24, 2016
Another Twitter user also captured the mannequins in some seriously old-school MySpace selfie poses.
@griffski I think they're on a selfie binge come down. @Lamhfada pic.twitter.com/RcwKHiXdRG
— Phil Jones (@phljns) October 24, 2016
Not only are these mannequins out of the ordinary, they also look difficult to dress. In a statement issued to the BBC, the retailer explained that the figures in question are currently only in two stores, located in Manchester and Dublin, and they’ve been there for a quite a while.
“River Island likes to keep the shopping experience interesting, fresh, and different for our customers — with distinctive in-store displays, which we change and update regularly. We always welcome customer feedback and aim to reflect their views in our stores,” the company said.
Although many retailers display mannequins that are criticized for looking thin and unrealistic, River Island is one of the first to produce mannequins that could be described as looking depressed.
Last year one customer called out Topshop for a mannequin in its Bristol Cribbs Causeway store. “This mannequin is quite frankly ridiculously shaped. Young women aspire to the somewhat cult image your store offers. Which I’m sure you’re aware by your sales figures and hashtags on Instagram,” Laura Kate Berry wrote in a now viral Facebook post.
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