July 30, 2024
This month we feature David Naranjo, our visionary and talented VP of Creative, to share a little behind-the-scenes glimpse of his work with the artists and artisans here at Greneker.
Hi David, tell us a little about your background and what you do.
I attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) here in Los Angeles, and got my start in the retail world by working as a Visual Stylist and later Visual Director for Women's clothing chain Charlotte Russe. I came to Greneker as Visual Director in October of 1999.
At Greneker, I oversee all things visual, in charge of the creation of new mannequin development for us, as well as custom mannequins for our clients. I select product and art direct photography for ad development, and trade shows. I act as customer liaison for creative direction on all custom projects, which includes sculpting and digital design work.
What kind of projects do you work on?
The creation and development of new and custom mannequins, art direction for mannequin make-up (yes, we still get those requests!), shopping fabric for custom fabric forms, along with everything in between from our Custom Build division. This includes, artwork projects, large-and small-scale thematic characters and elements, retail store window props, Pop Up Store concepts, jewelry displayers, custom fixtures and signage. We also just finished a renovation of our offices here in LA, of which I had a creative hand in the design direction.
What’s the most fun part of your job?
All things creative! Talking and working with clients, getting to collaborate from the ground up with other creatives in the industry, working to make their dreams reality. Working with our talented sculptor, designers and artisans that make it all come together no matter the challenges. Watching a concept come to life, step by step in real time, from idea, to paper, to prototype to finished product, it's always exciting! I also love the opportunity at Trade Shows to talk with attendees and other vendors, sharing our capabilities, what it is we do and educating how that can impact their visual identity and sales. Providing ideas and seeing the excitement in them as they visualize the impact they can make within their organizations, utilizing our products and services, that's always exhilarating.
As a creative director/designer, what artists/designers do you admire, or are your primary influences?
I admire artists and designers from all over the creative spectrum. Firstly, the creatives within our own industry for their contributions to the art of visual display, which pushes me to want to be better at what I do. I get inspiration from the world of fashion and photography, art, both current and historical. I am also largely inspired by our namesake, Lillian Greneker, who started this company in the 1930's. I am sometimes in awe of the legacy she left us, and her contribution to the history of mannequins and their impact on the art of visual merchandising. I hope to honor her contribution, by continuing to provide new and exciting ways to impact that world between visual merchandising and retail entertainment.
What’s the most challenging project you’ve ever worked on?
That's hard to say, most of the custom projects we do come with their own set of challenges. Everything from interpreting clients' desires, managing expectation and certainly tight timelines. Seems those have gotten shorter and the projects more intricate. Probably some of the larger scale projects deliver the most challenges, just due to the nature of their size and the details involved with internal structures and deco work. But there have also been a number of smaller projects, that again due to the complexity of their design and detailed finish work have been quite the challenge. In either case, with the talents of the many artisans and production line workers at Greneker, we always manage to exceed expectations and deliver to rave reviews by our clients.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to break into the business?
Schools are a great place to start, I mentioned getting my start by attending FIDM, but there are a number of Design schools here in LA and all over the country. Honestly, creativity is in your DNA, there are a lot of technical things that can be taught, but if you don't have a creative bone in your body that will only take you so far. If you find excitement in creative things like art, drawing, painting, photography, fashion, sewing, fabrics, flower arranging, you're probably a good candidate to be successful in a Visual merchandising, Visual director, Creative Director position.
Push yourself to learn as much as you can about all things creative. Retail is a great training ground and hands-on experience is by far the best teacher.
