Christmas is just around the corner, and Printemps Haussmann is whistling up its "Printemps Express" for a first-class journey into the world of dreams! Until December 31, the department store's window displays will take you on board this Christmas train, with each carriage depicting an enchanted universe. On the platform, bellboys load suitcases and stack gift packs before departure; in the carriages, passengers take their seats for a feast worthy of the most beautiful tales, under an XXL Christmas tree surrounded by golden pyramids. A luxurious stopover in the Haussmann Suite, where passengers are pampered like stars. We're on our way to a Christmas that's full steam ahead, and above all... that promises to make you dream at every station!
Printemps Haussmann's 2024 Christmas window displays in Paris - our photos
For the festive season, Printemps Haussmann invites you on a magical adventure aboard the Printemps Express, bound for Christmas! From November 7 to December 31, 2024, let yourself be transported on a magical journey through the window carriages, brought to life by passengers in recycled fabrics. [Read more]
And to take us behind the scenes of this magic, who better than puppeteer Sylvain Ducloux and Julie Ducat, the department store's scenographer, who spoke to Sortiraparis? One tells us about his passion and the history of an art that has been passed down from generation to generation, while the other shares his ideas, from the first sketches to the finished windows, including the design and installation of the sets. Manufacturing secrets, the history of window displays, the year's theme and the little hands behind the scenes... they tell us all about it!
Sortiraparis: What's your name and what's your role at the department store?
Julie Ducat: My name is Julie Ducat, and I've been a scenographer at Printemps Haussmann for 15 years, responsible for all the artistic aspects of the store, including the Christmas window displays.
Who and how do you choose the theme for Printemps Haussmann's window displays each year?
J.D.: The Christmas theme is chosen by the purchasing, marketing and art departments. Each year we create a surprise on Boulevard Haussmann. In 2023, the theme was very poetic, sublimating paper , and this time we chose to compose around the tradition of Christmas and the notions of green, red, gold, generosity and gifts.
What's this year's theme in a nutshell?
J.D.: Le Printemps Express, a magical train journey on which each shop window becomes a compartment on the train, where a thousand and one surprises take place.
How long does it take to design a window display?
J.D.: The design process takes a long time - we're talking about a whole year of preparation!
First of all, 4 months of production are required before installation. We have to define the themes for each window, sketch the backgrounds for each painting, and finally create the characters: design, prototype, styling and animation. Then comes the 3 and a half weeks of window assembly. It's a long marathon!
First we make the shells, then we move on to the sets (one night per window, sometimes a night and a half!). This is followed by one or two days of animation, just before the finishing touches, which mainly involve wrapping the gifts, putting on snow or accessorizing the characters. Finally, there's the whole product side. The visual merchandisers decorate the window displays with their selection of iconic and exclusive items that can be found in the store at Christmas time.
And, as ecology is at the heart of our current concerns, do you reuse elements from previous years?
J.D.: Yes, Printemps' CSR policy is very important, particularly in the production and creation of decorations. For this year, which celebrates 50 years of animated window displays, we upcycled character bases from 2 years ago, and transformed them so that they could tell a new story.
What's your name, what's your job and what does it involve?
Sylvain Ducloux: Let me introduce myself: I'm Sylvain Ducloux, puppeteer. My job is to bring the characters in the Christmas windows to life, and the possibilities are endless! There are a multitude of puppets - animals, characters of different builds - and each character will come to life differently, depending on its character, the situation, whether it's funny or not...
How did your passion come about?
S.D.: In my family, puppeteers are passed down from father to son, and I'm the 3rd generation! My grandfather started, my father continued, and I do my best to carry on their legacy. In fact, I've been a puppeteer for 30 years now.
How did your grandfather originally end up animating the windows of Printemps Haussmann?
S.D.: He and my father used to do puppet shows, especially when opening for Barbara, Raymond Devos, Claude François, etc., because in those days, in cabarets, concerts were preceded by visual acts. One day, a member of the Printemps management attended one of their performances and challenged them to animate characters in the department store's windows. It was a first for my grandfather! The very first ones were made out of odds and ends, and today it's been 50 years since the tradition of animated window displays has been perpetuated in my family (and 6 years for me at Printemps!).
What emotions do you hope to convey with these windows?
J.D.: When we design our windows, the most important thing is to tell ourselves that we're making passers-by and customers dream, and that we're also encouraging them to go inside, through the store door, to discover the other surprises hidden inside. In fact, many events take place here over the Christmas period.
S.D.: A brief return to childhood by discovering the window displays, marvelling at the animations that are still traditional to fil.
Printemps Haussmann's 2024 Christmas window displays in Paris - our photos
