Schools

New Trier Students Create Holiday Display for Mall

The students' work will be on display at Westfield Old Orchard Mall until Dec. 31.

From snowflakes made out of forks to dresses made from recycled magazines, New Trier High School students gave it their all for the three holiday displays they created for Westfield Old Orchard Mall retailers. 

During the fall semesters the students in the schools fashion marketing and merchandising class worked with Oak Street Design and learned what it was like to create and design effective visual merchandising displays. 

“We learned that you’d have this idea of what it’s going to look like in the beginning but throughout the process, the output really changes,” said Sophie Litow, 17. “It’s an evolving process.” 

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The teenagers created displays with the theme of home, fashion, and culinary arts for three retailers: Barnes and Noble, Old Orchard Mall, and Williams-Sonoma, respectively. 

“This project has made me see the other side of marketing and merchandising,” said Emma Feeney, who worked on the culinary arts display. 

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Melissa Duffy, who teaches the class, had students research the stores and target audiences so students could learn what it was really like to create displays to sell products. 

“It was an excellent opportunity for the students to get hands on experience and see the project from start to finish,” Duffy said. 

Many of the teenagers said it was harder to execute their ideas than expected. 

“You have to be flexible and keep pushing on even if it’s hard—even if your idea’s not working,” said Crystal Lande, who was part of a group that created a display around the theme of home. 

The student’s work will be on display at Westfield Old Orchard Mall, Skokie Boulevard and Old Orchard Road,” until Dec. 31. 

Want to follow similar stories on New Trier High School? Sign up for Winnetka-Glencoe Patch's newsletter or "like us" on Facebook.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here