Saturday December 1st 2012 is a date you are going to want to mark on your calendar now if you’re a fan of mass market designer collaborations because it will signal the release, both in stores and on the web, of the most expansive designer collaboration ever attempted. As any hardcore fashionista can already tell you, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the CFDA is celebrating in a big way, with a gift collaboration through Neiman Marcus and Target that will involve 24 CFDA designers collaborating on 50 gifts.
Each designer will contribute between one and three items and the designs they will be putting forward look like they will have something for everyone, from men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and accessories to home decor, sporting goods, electronic accessories and even pet accessories. The items in the collection will also run a wide range of prices with the least expensive starting at a mere $7.99 and the most valuable items retailing for $499.99, however Target has gone to great lengths to assure its customers that the majority of the items will be under $60.
“This collaboration is unlike anything Target has done before,” Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and CEO of Target said in a recent press release. Mr. Steinhafel even went so far as say that the two major chains have “set the stage for a redefining moment in retail.” With a line up of designers that reads like some kind of fashion all-star team (Marc Jacobs, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Oscar de la Renta and Tory Burch to name a few) Mr. Steinhafel has reason to be optimistic about the potential of this collab. The strange partnership that looks to marry Neiman Marcus prestige with Target mass production should prove fascinating even to those who don’t normally go in for the whole designer collaboration fad.
One thing is for sure: If your thinking of adding some CFDA 50th anniversary designs to Christmas wish list you want to make sure that your schedule is free on December 1st. For a full list of designers check out the collaboration’s first official advertisement here.
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