WHAT do top fashion designers Stella McCartney, Erin Featherston, Alice Temperley and relative new comer Jonathan Saunders all have in common?
Well apart from having gorgeous clothes (as all self-respecting fashionistas will know), they are now also united by having produced a range of designer clothing for Target. Up and coming style guru Jonathan Saunders recently joined the ranks after months of speculation, by designing an exclusive limited-edition collection for Target GO International, making the hottest chic designer fashion available to women at affordable prices.
With fab fashions more accessible and affordable than ever before clothes seem to have an increasingly shorter expiry date. A recent report by The Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TCTFIA) found Australian women aged under 30 bought, on average, 112 garments a year - double that of women aged over 30. Many of these purchases then rapidly become excess to requirements (really, how many items can one wear in a year?), with many of those garments relegated to the dark recesses of the wardrobe or given to local charity shops after only a week’s wear!
By comparison the guys were revealed as somewhat more conservative, buying an average of only 29 items of clothing a year.
Is this ‘buy and bin quick’ trend further emerging evidence of consumerism gone mad – fast food, fast fashions - or just an indication of passion for ever changing variety and style in the fashion stakes?
Way back in 2005 fashion designer Stella McCartney created waves when she signed up for a one-time run with UK retailer H&M; this designer also did a range for Target (Australia), launched March 2007.
The trend for affordable access to once elite fashion labels has escalated beyond all expectations since, with a plethora of fashion designers creating budget lines of their gorgeous clothes.
The TCTFIA report suggests that young people have become victims of the fast fashion phenomenon, with cheap clothing dropped into stores more frequently - often weekly.
Within this scenario it seems obvious that budget range designer clothing is likely to be treasured and is at the top end of ‘fashion chain’, but the sheer volume and accessibility of clothing across the board means it’s life time is shorter than ever before.
There are now also emergent concerns about the environmental impact of disposable fashion and where the clothing ends up once its use-by date is up or it is replaced by the next fleeting trend. Raw resources are used at an increasing rate, and once disregarded the huge quantities of clothing must be disposed of.
It seems that the market is ever greedy for more – more affordable fashions, more often, and more quantity and variety. As all good marketers know, marketing is about finding a gap in the market and then filling it.
Richard Chai will soon become the next limited-edition fashion designer to create the a range of chic women's fashion for Target GO International. Chai's exclusive collection including an assortment of tailored separates and chic dresses will be available at most Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com/go in early August, with prices ranging $12.99 to $79.99.
Designer Shoes, Handbags and Jewelry at Affordable Prices!
But it’s not just about chic clothes – it is about an entire look. Fabulous fashionistas require – no demand – accessories to set their outfits off to perfection – and a number of designers have launched into the market to fill this need.
Much vaunted designer Monica Botkier will offer up a line of purses, clutches, and wristlets starting on July 20. Called Botkier for Target, the accessories will be in stores until September 14, 2008. Price points range from $19.99 to $49.99.
New York City based jewelry designer Dean Harris will shortly be offering a limited edition jewelry line. The Dean Harris for Target designer jewelry collection, most of which are nature-related, will be available at most Target stores nationwide and at Target.com from August 17 through December 27, 2008 at prices from $19.99 to $99.99.
Fashion accessories designer giants Anya Hindmarch and Sigerson Morrison are also creating limited edition collections for Target. Anya Hindmarch will be designing a line exclusive, stylish yet affordable designer handbags while Sigerson Morrison will be creating a line of affordable designer shoes which will be up for grabs in early October at Target stores nationwide, with select styles sold exclusively through Target.com. Anya Hindmarch designer handbags are liked by celebrities including Scarlette Johansson, Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Angelina Jolie for their excellent craftsmanship while Sigerson Morrison's designer shoes are a favorite of celebrities such as Naomi Watts.
Fast and Chic Designer Fashions at Affordable Prices - but could the cost be too much?
Thanks to the fashion revolution of designers now catering for mass markets we can all look better for less. However, should the reality of waste and environmental concerns be given some consideration? Fashion is fickle, and while it's fun to be trendy and gorgeous should we be looking to a more sustainable approach to life in the fast fashion lane? Planet earth and environmental integrity will be in fashion forever.
Great post. I'm really against disposable fashion. Before, people who needed a fashion fix would have gone to thrift stores and honed their fashion sensibilities. Today, anyone can go to Forever 21 and pick up something new and trendy, but so flimsy and ultimately cheap looking that they discard it in a month or less. What's worse is, they often think they're stylish, but their straight-off-the-rack looks are anything but stylish for these ultimate fashion victims.
ReplyDeleteHi there! Nice post, but it is a bit misleading. Target Australia and Target US Corp. are two entirely different entities; Target OZ only licenses the name from the US company. So while Australia was lucky enough to have Stella McCartney design a capsule collection for Target, we here in the US never saw it. Likewise, Erin Featherston, Alice Temperley and Jonathan Saunders designed for Target US, but I don't believe they did so for Target Australia.
ReplyDeleteThe speed of the fashion world has perplexed me for some time. I think if we reached "disposable fashion", it came several years ago.
ReplyDeleteI know my closet is a constant cycle - I clean out about once every two or three months, donate to Goodwill... go shopping... rinse, repeat. I'm trying to get out of that habit, but it's really rough going.
Maybe the problem is more a reflection of the economy. Designers are making more clothing in an effort to make more money, faster. Consumers are doing what they're best at - consuming, faster.
I think the designers are the ones that are setting pace for the consumers, and the ones that control it in the end.
Also, we didn't get Stella here in the States. I'm rather disappointed.
This was a really great and informative post. I'm definitely coming back to check out your blog again.
ReplyDeleteI think the main problem isn't that the fashion is more affordable, but that for some reaosn people in this country are obsessed with buying. They buy, buyt, buy without even thinking "do I actually need this?". Just because a collection is cute it doesn't mean we need to get one of each piece included.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I only bought a few pieces from all collections combined - things I thought were sturdy enough not to fall apart in 2 months and cute enough that I woulnd't get totally sick of them in that same amount of time. And only if I needed them. I hate hoarding.
To all above commentwrs, hi and welcome to the Chic Alert. In particular Target Addict thank you for pointing out the possible misleading references to Target Austrlia and Target US Corp. In fact while this very point was discussed in the round of drafts for the story sadly this slipped through the cracks here and didn't make the final post. I'm with you Tenshi and clean out my closet but I tend to do it after the season ends. As with you this is more of a habit or as Elisa mentioned, an addiction or obsession to shop and in my case to have the latest colors and trends.
ReplyDeleteSJP's new line BITTEN has opened up in the mall near us. It is within a larger store that has similar less expensive lines.
ReplyDeleteThe quality seems fine. The question is...do consumers only what want they can't afford? Is the status symbol reflected by the price or the image?
Glenda
Great Post and certainly a good read. First time and will be back again for sure to get some tips.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It is much better to buy quality lasting clothes. I have definitely learnt my lesson in buying fast fashion. It doesn't look good on me.(perhaps I am getting old).
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the environmental impact of clothes. I am all for recycling (my clothes swapping website lauches in a few weeks. If you buy good stuff in the first place, when you get fed up with it, it is easier to swap or sell.