Zac Posen Spring 2010

Zac Posen is coming to Target.  His Go International collection will be available at Target on April 25th to May 30th.  We are in an environment where high-end designers are opting to make their clothes more accessible to the mass market. 

Posen has been very busy lately; only two weeks ago he announced his diffusion ‘hipster’ line to be sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.  His Z Spoke collection with Saks will go for $78 to $675.  The young designer’s high-end collection goes for $900 to $12,000, but the price point for the Go International collection has not been announced.  It’s fair to say that the price point will be significantly lower than even the Z Spoke collection because previous Go collections at Target have retailed from $14.99 to $149.99.

Designing clothes for the mass market improves the bottom-line, and it increases the name recognition of the designer.  The consumer also wins because they will have access to affordable  merchandise from a high-end designer.  Only the lines at Target will tell the full story next spring, but it’s likely that the story will be a very good one for Zac Posen.

Zac Posen to Design for Target [WWD]

Related: Zac Posen is the Latest to Launch Lower-Priced Line

You can add Zac Posen to a growing list of high-end designers choosing to launch a diffusion line.  The collection will be sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.  Z Spoke will be available next spring at prices far lower than the Zac Posen collection. 

Think sportwears instead of the avant garde pieces we’ve grown to expect from this young designer.  The line will be priced between $75 to $675, a mere bargain compared to the Zac Posen collection which sells between $900 and $12,000.  Separates are the foundation of the collection and you will have your selection of knits, cotton and khakis.

Diffusion lines have been the answer in an ailing economy.  We’ve seen lower-priced collections from Alexander Wang, Doo-Ri Chung and Thakoon Panichgul this year alone.  Temperley is also launching a diffusion line due out next spring, at about the same time Z Spoke will be available at Saks.   

Zac Posen’s New Venture [WWD]

Z Spoke (Zac Posen’s Diffusion Line) [The Fashion Spot]

Who says that good things can’t come from a down market?  The private event sale sites have been thriving in this economic environment, and have seen a great deal of activity this week.  So we have named them to this week’s Rollcall list. 

It is such a lucrative business that Saks Fifth Avenue recently held its own private sale by invitation only.  Today we learned that even the DailyCandy is joining the ranks of the members only sale events.  They are launching Swirl, an online sample sale site where they will sell designer clothes and accessories at up to 80 percent off.  If that wasn’t enough, Rue La La was purchased this week by GSI Commerce. 

These invitation/members-only sites are getting a boost during the recession, and hopefully the same goes for their bottom-line.  Sites like the Gilt Groupe acquire sample pieces from designers and place them online for sale at a fraction of the retail cost. 

There has been a great deal of activity this week with these private event sale sites, and the odds are good that we will see many more in the near future.  Take a look at the video below of Gilt Groupe co-founder, Alexandra Wilkis, as she described the private event sale business back in August. 

Private-Sale Sites Grow in a Struggling Economy [WSJ/Blog]

DailyCandy Joins the World of Online Sample Sales  [Racked]