Missoni brand will bring freshness for fall

Italian luxury brand Missoni hits target stores this fall (Sept. 13 to Oct. 22) and like a lot of the edgier designer exclusives the retailer brings into its stores you have to wonder about the degree of brand awareness among the Target faithful. Missoni certainly sounds like it could be an Italian luxury brand, but then the same thing could be said of Mossimo, Merona or any brand that ends in a vowel.

Regardless of such potential confusion, Target has shown it executes these multi-category exclusive merchandising initiatives quite well with product that looks good and is attractively presented. Beginning with last year’s Liberty of London product line and continuing with the more recent Calypso St. Barth, products were merchandised in multiple categories to bring a sense of newness throughout the store. The same strategy will be applied to the Missoni offering, which is said to be the largest designer collection to date with more than 400 products across such categories as women’s, men’s, girls’ and baby apparel, and accessories and home furnishings and décor. Prices will range from $2.99 all the way up to $599.99, but most items will retail for less than $40.

So, will shoppers buy the product because of some awareness or emotional connection to the Missoni brand, or simply because the merchandise is new, different and attractively presented at compelling price points?

Maybe a little of both, but as Target EVP merchandising, Kathee Tesija, gushed last month, “The Missoni family has established one of the world’s most creative brands, and together we’ve created a collection that will have guests lining up outside their local Target in anticipation.”

Can’t wait to see the product offering, but assigning Black Friday type expectations to the launch is a stretch.