Will Marimekko for Target Sell Out?

Is everybody ready for Marimekko for Target, launching tonight at midnight? What's your personal shopping strategy? Mine will be to scope out the items I really want in the Lookbook this evening, then set my alarm to wake up at midnight and do all my shopping online (vs. braving the store tomorrow morning).

For those of you concerned about Target's website crashing (as has happened with past designer collabs) this article by the Star Tribune states that The Bullseye isn't taking any chances. Dozens of Target's technology, social media and guest relations employees will be working through the night Saturday to monitor the online launch and to help troubleshoot any problems. "It's all hands on deck making sure the [Marimekko] launch goes as smoothly as possible," said Joshua Thomas, a Target ­spokesman. And if traffic does begin to overwhelm the site, Target will likely put shoppers into queues as it did on Cyber Monday last December, when its website was also swamped. But the company hopes it won't have to do that, because in the past year they've been working to increase the site's capabilities to handle larger amounts of traffic during big shopping events.

But will Marimekko for Target cause the frenzy that Missoni and Lilly Pulitzer did? That's a good question. Marimekko does have the special ingredient that's been part of Target's biggest hits: bright, distinctive prints and patterns. Those also were part of the winning formula for the Missoni and Lilly Pulitzer collections. However, there are signs this one will not reach the same frenzy. For example: when Target held a pop-up shop in Manhattan's Bryant Park last year in advance of the Lilly Pulitzer collection hitting stores, long lines formed and it quickly sold out. But last weekend, Target once again gave New Yorkers first dibs on the Marimekko collection with a selection of items for sale on the city's High Line park. And this time, the products did not sell out.

On the other hand, the New York Post is predicting that Marimekko will be a sellout for several reasons. They cite the fact that the brand is beloved by style gurus from Jackie O to Sarah Jessica Parker. Plus, non-Target Marimekko isn’t cheap, and they carry a long-term value for vintage pieces. Marimekko is also hard to come by, as it only has a handful of stores in the U.S., and virtually none in flyover states — so this will be the only way for design buffs nationwide to buy the brand without resorting to its website.