Boats / Dinghies / Sale Boat – Spring Window Displays
Project Overview
For this spring retail campaign, 865 Fab Lab designed and fabricated a series of custom window display elements themed around boats and dinghies, supporting a seasonal “Sale Boat” concept for a clothing retailer.
The project focused on creating visually striking, lightweight display pieces that could be installed easily while maintaining consistent branding across storefronts. All fabrication was completed in-house using our micro-factory workflow, enabling rapid turnaround and precise execution.
Design Challenge
Seasonal window displays must be:
Visually engaging from a distance
Lightweight and easy to install
Consistent across multiple store formats
Delivered on tight retail timelines
For this campaign, the customer required three different-sized boat-shaped display elements that worked together as a cohesive spring theme while remaining flexible for different window layouts.
"Thank you team 865FabLab for such an amazing design and execution."
Our Fabrication Solution
865 Fab Lab produced the display elements using 12 mm XPS foam, selected for its lightweight properties, clean machinability, and suitability for retail environments.
The project combined:
CNC knife cutting for accurate profiling
CNC routing for clean edges and surface detail
Digital design workflows to scale shapes consistently across all sizes
By machining the components rather than hand-forming them, we ensured repeatability, sharp definition, and fast production.
Manufacturing & Turnaround
All components were produced locally in our micro factory, allowing:
Rapid transition from design to fabrication
Tight quality control
On-time delivery aligned with the spring campaign launch
The ability to fabricate multiple sizes from a single digital design set ensured both speed and consistency across the display system.
Visual Merchandising Impact
The finished boat and dinghy forms created a strong spring window display narrative that aligned with the brand’s seasonal promotion. Their scale variation added depth and movement, helping the windows stand out in high-foot-traffic retail environments.
These types of sculptural display elements are effective for:
Seasonal sales campaigns
Visual merchandising storytelling
Driving in-store engagement
Applications Beyond This Project
While designed specifically for a spring retail campaign, this fabrication approach is well suited to:
Seasonal and promotional window displays
Pop-up retail and brand activations
Fashion, lifestyle, and footwear retail
Experiential merchandising installations
The materials and methods allow for fast iteration, easy transport, and straightforward installation.
Why This Project Matters
This case study highlights how digital fabrication and micro-factory production support modern retail needs:
Fast seasonal turnaround
Consistent results across multiple display elements
Lightweight materials with strong visual impact
Scalable solutions for retail and brand environments
It reflects 865 Fab Lab’s ability to support creative concepts while meeting commercial production demands.
Planning a Seasonal Display?
If you’re developing a window display, retail installation, or seasonal campaign, 865 Fab Lab can support your project from concept through fabrication.
Contact 865 Fab Lab to discuss your next display project.