Coming in Fall 2011: Missoni For Target

Here’s some news that I find fairly incredible, and that reflects the changing face of fashion.  Yesterday,  Target announced their next designer via a Tweet from @TargetStyle. Wait for it, the new Target designer will be luxury fashion brand Missoni.  Yes, Missoni of the zigzig sweaters and knit dresses.  According to Target,  the collection will arrive in stores in the fall “September 13 through October 22.”   But there’s more, the collection will be a be a wide selection of items  offering much more than clothing.   There will be  400-plus Missoni for Target pieces. Like the new Calypso St. Barth Collection and Liberty of London before that, Missoni for Target will offer evrything from clothes (women’s, men’s, kids’), to bed sheets, to  dinnerware to set the table.  Everything will be branded with Missoni’s  trademark swirls, zigzags, and loud printed florals. “It’s been a fantastic experience,” says Angela Missoni “one we are eager to share with families across the United States.” 

To me this is simply a sign of the times.  Fashion houses are hurting, and budget collections for Target offer a great way to raise some revenue.  Will the average Target shopper know who or what the Missoni brand is? I think not.   We’ll see how consumers respond and what type of quality Missoni for Target delivers.