February will bring Prabal Gurung to Target, and Racked has noticed that this collaboration hasn't been as buzzed about as you might expect. Compared to the flurry of excitement that Jason Wu's lookbook generated last year - which was one of the most popular posts of the year on Racked - the announcement that Gurung is up next was met with only mild interest. Back in November, they asked Gurung if he thought designer collabs were still relevant. "There's still a relevance factor, otherwise people wouldn't be doing it," he said. "Target were the pioneers of starting a collaboration like this, and... this is like the benchmark that as a new designer you want to keep. The audience that they have, hundreds of millions! As you grow your brand, what you want to do is increase brand familiarity."
But fashion experts seem to disagree. "It's become very formulaic at this point," Mickey Boardman, editorial director of Paper Magazine, told the New York Post. "Everyone does them, and so they don't really seem as special."
8 comments:
Thank you for this post. I have been through each of the collabs that you mentioned. For me personally, the Missoni collab was a delight! I still wear many of the pieces I was able to get after the flurry died down a bit. In my opinion, the successive collabs have been lacking as far as quality of materials or relevancy to the target market. I really like some of the Jason Wu pieces, but the craftsmanship and material were in many cases very poor. If a collab has quality merchandise that is wearable/useable/loveable, I think it will be a big hit. Otherwise, not so much. I just didn't find the NM collection to be that interesting- even at 50% off. Bring us exciting products by interesting designers (famous or not) at reasonably moderate prices and you'll have another hit. I am not a betting woman, but I would wager that if Target did another Missoni collab, the response would be phenomenal. I think Target may have gotten a tad bit spoiled and lax after the "Missoni Miracle" and has perhaps taget its target audience (us) a little bit for granted. I haven't given up on them though- and I don't think others have either. : )
I think what turned me off is the hype and the ebay vultures that "cheapened" the experience. THe Missoni experience was not a good one. I do agree with Childofenroth that quality is very important. I ordered a few items from the Kirna Zabete line and I must say, have been pleased with these items.
As a follow-up and in response to Tina, I totally agree. The way that the Missoni launch was handled was a miserable experience- that part I do not like at all!
Childofenroth and Tina, thanks for weighing in. Totally agreed that the hype and the eBay vultures are two big turnoffs (and downsides) to these designer collabs.
Regarding consumer demand, the Racked article surmises that the most successful collabs are those with brands that have recognizable logos or print, like Missoni and Liberty of London. One fashion expert suggested that Target do a line with Pucci next, since "Shoppers want obvious pieces, and those are always the first ones to sell out."
Target Addict--I thought the same thing. Some of the collabs are with names that the average American is not familiar with. Pucci would be a good name--also Burberry since most identify with the plaid!
I think that Tory Burch would be great. Her lunch box and thermos were my favorite items in the NM collection. My initial response to the KZ collection was lukewarm, but I got a few pieces on sale that I like, and the quality is very good! Paul and Joe, and Patrick Robinson remain my favorites. I have pieces from both of those that I wear all the time!
I don't think they have jumped the shark, in fact I think they should do a line with project runway contestants. Buuut, I think the collabs are just, "here is the name designer buy it", doesn't work when the products aren't any good. On the other had the NM collection, save a few pieces were just not at all interesting. Good quality, but dull and too expensive, and I think once no one bought any of it the shine vanished so that when the stuff went on clearence, still no one cared. Plus everyone has spent their budgets on Xmas.
I'm looking forward to the Prabal launch at Target on Feb. 10. I don't think this collab is jumping the shark - I appreciate that Target is introducing up-and-coming designers to the mainstream. Having perused the Prabal lookbook, I love all the flower and multi-colored prints and plan to go to my local Target early to grab my favorite pieces before they disappear. I agree with prior commentators that mainstream designers like Missoni and Pucci have the best chance for success because Target shoppers prefer the well-known brands. I, on the other hand, am intrigued by fresh new designers who think outside the box so I was more interested in Jason Wu and Zac Posen (although he's not so up-and-coming anymore) collabs with Target. However, I was very disappointed with both collections. I get it that Target products are less expensive, and inevitably are lower quality in craftsmanship and material so my only expectation of these collab collections is that the designs are fresh and fun to wear, but neither Wu nor Posen's collection delivered. Their pieces were no more interesting than Forever 21 (which I love, by the way) but I don't have to wait elbow-to-elbow with throngs of women outside the store for 30 minutes to buy Forever 21, which I did for the Missoni launch. I'm hoping the Prabal pieces look as cool in real life as they do in the lookbook. Happy shopping, fellow Target addicts!
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