Designers Hit the Target

September 16th 2013

Target collaborations. Without a hitch, every time a new partnership is launched, fashionistas everywhere are shreaking and taking the day off or work. Target has collaborated with a long list of designers, from Proenza Schouler to Alexander McQueen. Their first high end designer collaboration rolled around in 2003 with Isaac Mizrahi. At the time, Mizrahi was one of the top designers, and the collection, which was the first high to low collab of its time, was pricier then Target’s normal cost of clothing.

Targets latest collab, with 3.1 Phillip Lim, set the fashion scene ablaze with mass anticipation. This past Sunday, when the collection launched in stores, lines wound around the streets for the chance to get your hands on any bag, shirt, or shoe someone wasn’t trying to rip out of your hands. While I always hear about the hype, I have never personally experienced it.

Clean lines, loose silhouettes, and structured bags dominated the 3.1 Phillip Lim X Target collab, and is already almost sold out. Lim stayed true to his markings as a designer, and over all, the collaboration featured a great deal of everyday wardrobe staples.

Something that I have recently been thinking profusely about, is whether it’s worth the money. Target clothing is cute and affordable, but does not hold up over time. While I love designers offering their gear at reasonable prices, do I want to pay for something that will probably fall apart after I wash it a few times? Probably not. A few draws of high end designer clothing, is that it will last you possibly a lifetime, and the fact that not everyone can get their hands on it. So, my final question remains, are Target collaborations worth the insane hype, or is it just another way for Target to gain insane capital with over priced clothing?

How do you feel about high/low collaborations?