Last month Kohl's announced that they are launching a special designer collaboration initiative, Design Nation, and while we're all excited about that, there's no denying that nobody quite does designer partnerships like Target. Today the retailer proved just that by announcing that they've decided to partner with 24 leading designers for their next partnership rather than just one.
Through partnering with Neiman Marcus the retailer has managed to secure big brands like Marchesa, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Derek Lam to participate and as a result, the collection will be available in both Neiman Marcus and Target stores on December 1.
According to WWD, the each designer will create one to three designs in categories ranging from men's and womenswear to electronics and home goods, with prices averaging at less thn $60.
Black women spend considerable sums on cosmetics - fact. Despite the evidence that continues to support this, major retailers continue to sideline products targeted at black women and this was one of the main topics of conversation Iman discussed at WWD's Beauty CEO Summit earlier on this week.
According to the model, major distributors like Target and Walgreens didn't support her cosmetics line. 'It was a no-go,' she said. 'They wanted me to be placed at the back, which they considered, like it, is for the ethnic section, which I was totally against for no other reason but 'cause also I never considered myself an ethnic brand.'
As a result of the hostility, most of her line is sold online which is naturally having a negative impact. After all, how many women are willing to buy make-up products that they can't try before they buy?
Jason Wu's main line collection is coveted by editors and customers alike so it is hardly a surprise that his collection at Target has been highly anticipated. Images of the full collection have already been released but last night marked the line's official launch. The red carpet was full of the designers celebrities fans like Chloe Moretz, Jamie King and Blake Lively.
Over the weekend Jason Wu debuted his first TV ad for his Target collection and as you will see, Milu the cat seemed to have quite the hand in creating the collection. And the big media push doesn't end there. To support the February 5 launch, a massive billboard went up in TricBeCa in New York of the handy cat and muse for the collection too.
I know 2011 felt like an overload of diffusion line launches and high street collaborations with leading brands but that said, I'm really looking forward to the Jason Wu for Target collection.
While the line will remain true to the Wu aesthetic, the designer has used the collection to incorporate new pieces. "My goal was not to duplicate anything from my main collection,” he told the New York Times. “Instead I designed completely new clothes and accessories that reflect my taste and have a voice of their own.” But don't worry - the feminine blouses and subtle lace touches on coats are Wu all over.
When asked why they decided to work with Target on a low priced collection back in August, Angela Missoni was frank telling the New York Times that it was all about increasing the brand's visibility in America. “As Missoni, we have a big name but we are not a huge company, so there’s not much product around” but that was, of course, before their partnership with the retailer collection hit stores.
If you didn't know the Missoni brand before the Target collection, you definitely do now. The partnership was the retailer's biggest to date and the line was so sought after that it caused their website to crash, shelves were empty on the first day and eBay was full of resales of the pieces going for ridiculously high prices. "Honestly, we didn't expect it," Angela Missoni told the LA Times of the Sept. 13 frenzy. "I kept getting calls from friends all over America saying, 'Do you know what's happening here? There are lines outside the store. The shelves are empty!'"
Missoni are on a high right now. Their Fall 2011 collection was the best I've seen from them in a long while and it shows, as the collection is already doing really well at retail and their highly anticipated collaboration with Target was an instant sell out. While their Spring/Summer 2011 collection is notably different from their fall show, Angela Missoni definitely hit a high note again this season.
Inspired by her daughters arriving home from a night of dancing in Sardinia, the collection was full of fringed necklaces and hemlines, bold colours, assymetric necklines and multi tiered dresses and skirts alongside the brand's signature prints. Often these details came on the same look but did not look fussy or over-the-top. Instead, the playful experimentation with different details this season is exactly what Missoni needs if he wants to keep hold of the younger generation it attracted for fall.
Yesterday, ahead of today's New York Fashion Week festivities, Missoni held a private launch party and they pop up store on Sixth Avenue to celebrate the unveiling of their collection for Target.
Doutzen Kroes, Rachel Zoe, Camilla Belle and the whole Missoni family were in attendance.
It feels like this season is all about retailer collaborations. Yesterday Missoni launched their pop-up shop based on their line with Target, Karl Lagerfeld has launched his collection for Macy's and Carine Roitfeld's work for Barneys is everywhere. Now, Anna Dello Russo has arrived in New York to promote her new gig for Macy's INC line.
Yesterday she sat down with The Cut to talk about what trends she loves for fall, why we shouldn't expect her to wear more INC pieces during fashion week and which celebrity she would most like to style.
As we reported earlier this month, in aid of their collaboration with Target Missoni are working on a selection of videos to help you incorporate their signature printed pieces into your wardrobe. The first video is out and sees Margherita Missoni talk us through the brand's heritage and how the Target collaboration campaign came to life.
If this doesn't get you excited about the September 13 launch, we don't know what will.
