A Wake-Up Call for Fashion

Pieces from Isabel Marant's H & M Collection; Photo Courtesy of Refinery 29

I experienced déjà vu when I learned that Isabel Marant’s collection for H & M had sold out within a few hours of the store opening. This occurred in spite of the store’s policy to limit buyers to no more than four articles of clothing and/or accessories. The collaboration between luxury fashion designers and discount stores is a golden partnership for both but how beneficial is it for consumers? There continues to be high demand for and extreme anticipation for fashion collaborations of this nature. The media frenzy that results from the announced collaborations and the subsequent buyout of all of the clothes and accessories on the launch date certainly proves this type of partnership has staying power; however, I get the feeling that the excitement is wearing off for many fashion enthusiasts such as myself. What has caused the enthusiasm to deflate?

The clothes and accessories sell out usually within a few hours of the time the merchandise makes it on the sales floor. It is similar to what happens soon after Apple stores open their doors for customers to purchase the newest gadget. It is also reminiscent of what happens on Black Friday at major department stores when the first 500 customers receive a free necklace or gift card. Stand in line and you may still miss out. Get up at 5:00 a.m. just to be the first in line for something I may miss out on anyway? I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong; if this is how you roll you have all of my felicitations. I may be somewhat jaded because I have been there and done that without much success. It all started a few years ago when Zac Posen and Target announced their collaboration. I was super-energized and prepared to be the first to get a certain Zac Posen blue tuxedo jacket I had my eye on; however, it was not meant to be. None of the pieces were left at the store by the time I arrived. I summoned up the energy after my major disappointment to go online but my size was sold out. This resulted in a double dose of disappointment.

If I had been successful at being truly amongst the first customers to receive an article of clothing from Zac Posen’s collection for Target maybe I would still be consistently fired up to make the trek to the store or to power up my computer. It wasn’t meant to be and that is fine with me now. After all, I can still shop eBay or Vaunte in the hope that a few of the pieces will end up on what I call the cyber rack. Oh wait, as I type the eBay and Vaunte racks are already empty.

Do you still get excited upon the announcement of designer and store collaborations? What is your strategy for scoring items before they sell out?

I would love to hear from you.

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Because I'm Addicted, Isabel Marant Pour H & M 4 Ways