8 Questions with Sam Theis, Production Artist at Bergdorf Goodman
A behind-the-scenes look into the world of window displays.
Every holiday season, department stores across America transform their window displays into elaborate works of art. The tradition, which can be traced back to Lord & Taylor’s 1938 Christmas windows, began as a way to lure window shoppers and spark conversation. Since then, movies like Home Alone, Elf, and Miracle on 34th Street have helped turn New York’s holiday windows into a cultural phenomenon.
Today, these dazzling setups can help carry the voice of a brand, as well as drive sales and grow audiences. Department stores in NYC estimate that more than 500,000 people pass their holiday display windows every day. And thanks to Instagram, the interest in visual merchandising and interactive shopping spaces has become a year-round affair.
By using formats and mediums like holograms, kinetic sculptures, and featured artist installations, brands can completely reinvent themselves. Earlier this fall, designer Raf Simons and his team reworked Calvin Klein’s flagship store in New York City, shifting the brand’s minimal desaturated look to a yellow-hued and textured space. To bring these abstract realities to life, artists, designers, and fabricators spend countless hours of conceptualizing and building to make sure every detail is in place. It’s a complex and labor-intensive process, and one most customers rarely think about.
We sat down with production artist Sam Theis to discuss his experience handling the yearly holiday displays at Bergdorf Goodman, as well as designing with brands like Ralph Lauren, Chanel, and Neiman Marcus.
How did you get into visual merchandising?
I moved to NYC, knowing of course, of Bergdorf Goodman’s reputation for having the best holiday window displays. I walked down to the store and luckily spotted someone dressing a mannequin in the window. I ducked in and asked him if I could speak with the head of the department, David Hoey, who I’d heard had also worked at the same Neimans as I had in Texas. My first interview was conducted on the sidewalk that day as Mr. Hoey grilled me about my skill set, while simultaneously giving direction to some of his installers through the glass. Since then I’ve joined Bergdorf and Ralph Lauren’s team of window dressers.
How much time goes into making the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows come to life?
We take a quick break after our November reveal, then promptly begin conceptualizing the next year’s set. We work on several other big projects like the fashion weeks, Halloween, and line launches like Fenty Puma, but nothing comes close to Holiday. All year long we poke around trying to get hints of what the Holiday set concept is — it’s equal parts thrilling and ominous as the year progresses. The next 10 months are spent digitally creating the sets, commissioning and fabricating the pieces and props, and finding the perfect outfits for each window. It all culminates in a 15-day intense install at the beginning of November.
I think Linda Fargo said it best when she explained we are never not working on the holiday windows.
What was the theme for the window displays this year ?
“To New York with Love” was the name of this year’s set. It’s a tribute to NYC in which each window features a different historical society, like the Natural History Museum and the Philharmonic. The theme this year was different from my first Holiday with Bergdorf Goodman in that this year the concepts are much more concrete. In 2016 we built dream-like displays based more on fantasy as opposed to this year’s historical context that we pulled from. The challenge I believe our team really overcame was creating a historical representation without making the windows seem like another exhibit or diorama at the museums they corresponded to. The windows are a layer of hypnotic, captivating artwork over a real historical reference to the city.
What’s something you can say that not a lot of people know that goes on behind the scenes?
I think there’s an idea that what we do is very exciting and glamorous ALL the time. While I love it, I’ve also spent entire days doing nothing but paint touchups, or simply clearing out previous windows. For the ’16 Holiday windows I spent two solid weeks at their warehouse doing nothing but painting fake plants leaves different shades of green. It involves a lot of patience, diligence, and some heavy lifting. Working in a small window can be precarious and straining. You’ve got to be fearless sometimes while keeping your cool so you don’t make a mistake. It’s all worth it though when I step outside to see the finished product.
You’ve worked on production runway and theatre sets for Rihanna Fenty, Tom Ford, the Metropolitan Opera, and Chanel . Are sets like those somewhat similar to window displays?
The space we have to work with in windows is very limited compared to the shows and plays I’ve worked on. For example, Tom Ford’s Fashion Week show was in the massive Park Avenue Armory, which gave us so much space to create. But in windows you don’t have to worry about function — you finish your display without worrying about anyone touching the finished product once it’s done. It just has to look pristine from the sidewalk.
What usually happens after they unveil the Bergdorf Goodman windows to the public?
A good night’s sleep! We have people that work on trunk shows, photo shoots, house painters, costume designers, and film/television props. Window display is definitely a common ground for a lot of different talents.
What’s your favorite part about window display?
I’ve always liked working with my hands and in display I get to use the full range of my skill set, from carpentry to prop styling to rigging, and still learn a new trick now and then. It feels like a culmination of everything I’ve learned in my lifetime, and then my work ethic and passion is tested when we begin a project. And there’s no greater feeling in the world than seeing it finished after everything we put into it.
Any exciting projects you are working on now?
I just finished a fun psychedelic window for Storm Ritter Studio in the West Village, and now I’m working on a set for an editorial shoot with the artist SZA, all while squeezing in some time to work on my own art.
Sam Theis began his career in set design after working for his mother’s modeling agency, Wallflower Management, in Dallas, Texas. He then worked as a visual artist for sculpture displays, paintings, and illustrations that were showcased in a few gallery openings. Sam now lives in NYC where he builds sets and production displays for brands like Ralph Lauren, Bergdorf Goodman, Chanel, Storm Ritter, Neiman Marcus and more. Sam also builds sets for visual artists and musicians.
