Prabal Gurung Was a Huge Success for Target
By: Jennifer Diamond Feb. 14, 2013
Prabal Gurung's collection for Target is a big hit and sold out almost completely in one day, Business Insider reported. Maybe there is hope for collaborations yet?
After disappointing sales on the holiday collaborations, like Neiman Marcus x Target, there was much buzz that the wildly successful high-low collaboration equation run their course. "It's become very formulaic at this point," Mickey Boardman, editorial director of Paper magazine, told the New York Post. "Everyone does them, and so they don't really seem as special." A sell-out collection from Gurung could really boost the failing concept.
Business Insider speculated that it worked for two reasons. First, Gurung stayed true to his aesthetic. His designs for Target are cheerful, youthful versions of the floral prints and patterns his high-end collection his known for (and loved).
Secondly and equally as important, Target stayed true to their super-affordable pricing. Aside from a few higher-end novelty items, nearly everything was under $50, with printed tees for $20, shoes for $30 and, dresses in the $30 to $40 range.
While this collaboration did create the same frenzy of Missoni's 2011 collection (which crashed Target's website), it is still a huge success. Many pieces of the Gurung collection sold out quickly, but there are still some dresses available online, and a quick spot check shows that many of the shoes are available in size 8.5.
And don't forget eBay! There are more than 2500 active listings under the search term "Prabal Gurung Target" with most bids going for under $50-surprising compared to the exorbitant mark-up eBay sellers are sometimes able to score on highly coveted or collectible goods.
All in all Gurung's collection certainly seems like a whopping success for Target from a sales perspective. Has it been enough to bring back the Missoni-level excitement to the high-low collaboration forumla?
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