Target partners with Victoria Beckham to spice up sales
new york» Target is counting on Victoria Beckham to spice up sales.
The pop star-turned-designer and Target teased looks Wednesday from a limited-time collaboration that go on sale next month, highlighting hot-pink pants suits and whimsical blackand-white dresses. The 200 items priced from $6 to $70 include tops, trousers and rompers for women, as well as some matching children’s items. It’s the first foray into children’s wear for Beckham, the former Spice Girl who launched her namesake fashion brand in 2008.
“I wanted to offer a collection of clothes to women who either couldn’t afford designer prices or didn’t want to pay designer prices,” Beckham said. “Target is about being inclusive and that is something that is very important to me as a brand as well.”
The items will be available April 9.
Beckham, noting that the collection also includes items like coloring books, says the inspiration was the things she and her daughter Harper do together.
“It’s really about me and her and our relationship and our shared experience,” Beckham said.
Target pioneered these designer partnerships in the 1990s but has seen the formula copied since then by competitors like H&M and Gap. These limitedtime collaborations can ignite interest in a brand, but come with risks. Demand for a 2011 collection with Italian designer Missoni drew frenzied crowds and overwhelmed the company’s website, angering shoppers. Or a collection might not pique shoppers’ interest, as was the case with the Marimekko Collection last year.
The latest launch comes as the Minneapolis-based chain is trying to rev up sales and traffic. Target has been sprucing up its fashions and its home furnishings, but it’s wrestling with stiffer competition and an increasing shift to shopping online.