Full-Body vs Partial-Body Mannequin: Which One Should I Choose?

Mannequins have been used in retail apparel stores and businesses for centuries. While their construction and design has changed, their overall objective remains the same: to provide a realistic human form for displaying garments and accessories. If you plan to use them in your retail store or business, however, one of the decisions you'll have to make is whether to choose a full-body or partial-body mannequin. Both are fully capable of displaying garments on a human-like form, but there are some nuances between the two that shouldn't go unnoticed.

What's The Difference?

Full-body mannequins, as their name suggests, feature a complete human form. A typical full-body mannequin contains the body, head, legs, feet, arms and hands. partial-body mannequins, on the other hand, are more basic and consist of just a torso.

Function

Let's first talk about the different functions of a full-body vs partial-body mannequin. The primary benefit of choosing a full-body mannequin is its ability to display garments and accessories anywhere on the body. Since full-body mannequins feature an entire body, you'll have more options when it comes to displaying garments and accessories.

Does your store sell accessories like handbags, hats and necklaces? If so, you'll probably want to choose a full-body mannequin for the simple fact that you can display these items and more. Thanks to its complete design, you can transform a full-body mannequin into the ultimate in-store product display.

Space

Space is also something that retail store owners should consider when choosing between a full-body and partial-body mannequin. Full-body mannequins naturally take up a greater amount of space than their counterpart. Sure, they offer a more complete display of the human form, but their space requirements is a disadvantage that store owners should be fully aware of.

If you haven't done so already, use a measuring tape to determine exactly how much free space is available in your store. You might be able to free up some space by moving around and adjusting product, but it may still not be enough for a line of full-body mannequins.

Price

The price of a mannequin varies depending on a number of factors, but full-body mannequins typically cost more than partial-body mannequins. If you're on a budget and looking to launch a new store without a large amount of capital, stick with partial-body mannequins. The cost-savings it offers allows store owners to display their garments without sending them into the financial red zone.