H&M may have landed Donatella and Karl, but Target has always been on the cutting edge of designer collaborations, from the groundbreaking Isaac Mizrahi partnership and the GO International program to the mass hysteria that was the store-wide Missoni collection and the innovative boutique-within-a-store concept, Shops At Target, just this year.
Now Target is testing another version of designer collaboration. According to Women's Wear Daily, the retailer has enlisted 24 CFDA designers to contribute to a limited edition holiday collection... and it's got Neiman Marcus signed on to help. The Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection, say execs, will be like nothing else either store's ever done.
Both Neiman Marcus and Target have strong followings and, in this era of high-low dressing, there are surely overlap customers. But the beauty of the collection, WWD reports, is that the 50+ items will all retail at both: priced from $7.99 to $499.99, the designer goods will somehow straddle the bargain store bins and glossy department store shelves.
So which American designers can you expect? Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Altuzarra, Marchesa and CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg are among the participants making womenswear, menswear, accessories and even home decor and sporting goods. Former GO International designers like Proenza Schouler and Rogan will also be returning.
In short, The Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection will unite fabulous cadre of designers creating affordable yet still high-end products to be sold in multiple locations -- what more could we want?
An earlier launch date, that's what. The Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection won't debut until December 1.