This past Tuesday, Target launched its newest designer collaboration with the Italian fashion house Missoni. It was complete mayhem.
Since 2006 when Target launched GO International, their collaboration project, they have combined with 17 top designers to produce quality lines at a low price. But none of them have caused the chaos that the Missoni line did.
Fashionistas across the country have been eagerly awaiting the line's release for months, and the 400-item line did not disappoint.
In fact, shoppers were so eager to get their hands on some of the famous zigzag print that they began lining up at Target stores early in the morning in lines that wrapped around city blocks. In a bustle equivalent to Black Friday madness, eager buyers scoured the racks and cleaned them out within hours of many stores' openings.
The store's website was a whole other matter, with the site crashing after being up for only a few hours on Tuesday morning. It stayed down for most of the day, and when it finally started working again, basically everything worth buying was out of stock (believe me, I checked).
Missoni was supposed to be offered in Target stores into October, but don't count on it anymore. After the initial onslaught, stores around the country have been literally cleaned out of the collection, from the sweaters to the storage bins. There may be some returns from impulse buys, but many items may not be restocked.
And to add fuel to the fire, many of the items were purchased with the intent of being sold with ridiculously high mark-ups on sites like eBay and Craigslist. As of right now, there are over 30,000 Missoni for Target items being offered on EBay, some (like the zigzag bike) going for over $1,000.
Stores like H&M have also done collaborations with high-end designers, and those lines have caused huge fashion commotions as well. It seems that many people will do almost anything to get a piece of a big brand name. Long lines, empty racks, general angst, the whole deal. All of this begs the question – why are we so obsessed with designer labels?
It's somehow gotten into our heads that wearing a label makes you better, more superior, and like you can afford it. Whether or not the label is real has ceased to matter as of late. Fake bags on Canal Street, knockoff sunglasses, and those rhinestone double C earrings are easily spotted, not to mention big name logos splashed across cell phone cases and countless other items.
The high-end labels are high-end for a reason, and it's the quality of their goods. Knockoffs are nowhere near as well made, but that doesn't seem to matter anymore, it's all about flaunting the name. And while the department store collaborations are decently made, the fabrics and construction are nowhere near the level of the real label's products.
Quantity has trumped quality, which is why these low-priced collections are such a huge draw.
Label-lust has increased in recent years, with counterfeiting going through the roof and money that people shouldn't be spending going towards the latest ‘it' bag. Society pressures people to have it all, and fashion fanatics express that through their clothes. The label, whether you can see it or not, is a status symbol, and many of us are falling prey.
Email: hannah.barnes@ubspectrum.com
