Designer Fashion Lines for Discount Retailers

Capsule CollectionWho doesn’t love a good deal?  That’s what major designers must have been thinking when they started partnering with discount retailers to offer “capsule collections” at low prices to the masses.  These high fashion lines at affordable prices have become the most popular clothing collections for the style savvy that are short on spare change.  The Marni Collection for H&M sold out from stores in hours this March, while the Missoni for Target line crashed the store’s website with record breaking sales during Fall Fashion Week last year.  These popular lines have been causing a stir in department stores and discount retailers for years, but some fashion lovers are starting to question how similar the low-price products really are to their designer counterparts.

Capsule collections, aimed to highlight popular fashion designers in the mainstream, are part of a long line of collaborations that discount retailers have embarked on.  Target has showcased lines by Jean Paul Gaultier, Zac Posenhas, and has an ongoing relationship with designer Michael Graves.  Similar stores are getting in on the action of this idea too.  Kohls released a line by Jennifer Lopez, Sears unveiled a Kardashian Collection, and H&M offered a limited run of Versache dresses and accessories last winter.  These less expensive versions of high-end apparel seem to be the latest trend for thrifty shoppers, but the low-prices are becoming noticeably relative to low-quality.

Capsule CollectionThis transference of a normally expensive product, to something more massively accessible, seems like the perfect plan for a capital investment, but what about its cultural implications?  The fact that Missoni produced their line in a store like Target automatically separates the items from those in more high end boutiques.  Shoppers were merely tricked into thinking they were getting their hands on something that would establish them as a high fashionista.  In reality the clothing was made from less durable fabrics than their expensive equivalents, and were not exact replicas of the high-end pieces, but mostly different designs.  Some customers who bought into the Missoni for Target craze noticed that some of the products weren't great quality, and that seems to be the same thought across the board.

In 2012 culture isn’t just attained by price, but available to all for something more affordable.  Although it may be one-fifth the prestige of an actual designer item, these products being brought to the masses offers lower income fashion lovers the chance at mimicking the high fashion they wish they were a part of.  In reality these members of the mass culture do have high taste, just not money to toss away on it.  We all want the real thing, but when you can't afford it, these collections are the next best thing.  Who is to judge someone for buying into the craze of designer trends, when those buying the items for $500 are doing the same thing, just with a higher bill at their checkout.

Do you love capsule collections, or think that they're just an excuse for name brands to rip off the public with lower quality merchandise?

One thought on “Designer Fashion Lines for Discount Retailers”

  • Rowena Rebamuntan August 28, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    I like your website. It is very nice. I love to shop online. I buy a lot of my clothing online. I have bookmarked your website for my friends and familie. Will come back to visit for updates.

    Reply
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