The Crock That Is Designer Collaborations

Mmkay, so, Target’s obvs made a killing off of their GO International line, what with the dire economic sitch and all. And while I’ve enthusiastically bashed some of its offerings, I can’t knock the line’s concept because 1. It gives emerging designers a chance to establish themselves in the Fashion world and 2. It’s reasonably priced.

As someone without the means to indulge in legit designer goodies at full retail price, one would think I’d be all-a-twitter about Target’s latest fashion initiative, a.k.a. Designer Collaborations. WRONG. So effing wrong.

Let’s first examine WHY bigwigs like Alexander McQueen are partnering with stores like Target. Is it because they’ve had a change of heart that’s prompted a view of Fashion as more inclusive than exclusive? Is it because they suddenly feel guilty for selling their wares at triple their worth? Is it because they want women of all shapes, sizes and socioeconomic backgrounds wearing their clothes? Riiiight. I don’t THINK so. Sorry to burst this warm-and-fuzzy bubble of PR bullshit, but Fashion’s deities are collaborating with Target for one reason, and one reason only: MONEY. Or lack thereof, more accurately.

I got a C in Macro, so I may or may not know what I’m talking about, but let’s pretend I do. A Recession is a big icky wake-up call for how we spend money; it’s our collective tendency to spend beyond our means that has – until now – not only kept Fashion in business, but also enabled it to sell us things we can’t afford. Living off of credit is totally okay…until you get evicted or your house gets foreclosed or whatevs. The moment we put away those credit cards in an attempt to get our fiscal shit together is the moment that Fashion – and everything attached to it – freaks the fuck out.
I don’t know much about Alexander McQueen, aside from the fact that his Ready-To-Wear line is so ludicrously overpriced that I wouldn’t touch it with an eight-inch stiletto. Statistically, 99% of the population wouldn’t either, but McQueen – and Prada and Gucci and Chanel and whomever – still made moolah, thanks to our magical plastic. Now that I’m not the only one who thinks $2000 tuxedo pants are more “Must-Be-Kidding” than “Must-Have,” Fashion is scrambling to adjust. Target’s Designer Collaborations gives us reasonably priced access to iconic designers we’d otherwise never be able to afford; Shouldn’t we be grateful?

I’d be grateful if any high-end designer knew what ‘reasonably priced’ means. In a vacuum, a $70 Alexander McQueen dress isn’t overly offensive. But we don’t live in a vacuum, reasonably priced is all relative, and paying $70 for one item of clothing at Target is fucking insane. I don’t care who the designer is; if I have $70 to burn, I’m not going to spend it on the same mass-produced dress every other ‘Recessionista’ is buying. I’m going to hit a designer re-sale shop and find a brandtastic, gently-worn number instead; I’ll take secondhand Chloe over fast-fashion McQueen anyday.

Stay tuned for Sustainably Shopped alternatives to the crock that is Designer Collaborations. It can be done. Oh yes. It can be done.