This is an article from New York magazine's online mag,The Cut. It's a fantastic online resource to get the scoop on the day's hottest fashion stories.
So here we go...Neiman Marcus and Target will join forces this Christmas. Line up now.
So here we go...Neiman Marcus and Target will join forces this Christmas. Line up now.
Target’s Next Collaboration Features 24 Designers, Including Marc Jacobs, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, and More By Charlotte Cowles
Why should Target limit its partnerships to just one high-fashion brand at a time when they can partner with 24 of them at once? WWD reports today that the retailer is collaborating with luxury department store Neiman Marcus on a holiday collection, available not only at all Target stores but also at all Neiman Marcus locations and online at both retailers' websites, starting December 1. Thanks partly to Neiman's cozy ties with lots of luxury labels, the joint collection will include products designed by the following 24 CFDA members:
Alice + Olivia
Altuzarra
Band of Outsiders
Brian Atwood
Carolina Herrera
Derek Lam
Diane Von Furstenberg
Eddie Borgo
Jason Wu
Judith Leiber
Lela Rose
Marc Jacobs
Marchesa
Oscar de la Renta
Philip Crangi
Prabal Gurung
Proenza Schouler
Rag & Bone
Robert Rodriguez
Rodarte
Skaist-Taylor
Thom Browne
Tory Burch
Tracy Reese
So, basically the CFDA's Christmas party invitation list. Just so the back-scratching circle is complete (or, as WWD puts it, "to celebrate the partnership"), Target and Neiman Marcus are donating $1 million to the CFDA.
As for the products themselves: The collection will consist of 50-plus items costing between $7.99 and $499.99, with prices averaging less than $60. Each designer will contribute one to three designs in categories ranging from men’s, women’s, children’s clothing and accessories, sporting goods, home goods, and accessories for pets and electronics. In other words, it'll cover all the same bases as the Missoni for Target collection, only with more aesthetic diversity, fewer zigzags, and hopefully a smoother retail operation.
You should still expect these items to sell out quickly, though. All the products are limited edition, and the two retailers don't currently have plans to continue their partnership past this one-off collection, which they've been working on since last December.
Of course, Neiman Marcus and Target can't say enough nice things about one another. Even though you'd think they might clash over some details (it's hard to imagine Neiman's allowing any polyester bedding through their doors, for example), both parties insist they share the same values. Kathee Tesija, Target’s executive vice president of merchandising, gushed:
"We really formed one team and approached this together, as a team ... At times, it was hard to tell who was from the Target team and who was from Neiman Marcus. It was one big melding."
Melding! That's also a good description of what the crowds at Target stores will look like come December.
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