Building on yesterday's news that JCPenney will start selling MNG by Mango, Target has today revealed that it will partner with Liberty -- the London-based brand renowned for its delicate floral prints -- to sell apparel and accessories starting March 14, 2010.
Interestingly, rumors spread of a potential partnership between the two way back in August, so it's interesting that confirmation of the collaboration was confirmed so quickly after JCPenney's similar announcement yesterday.
For stateside fans of Liberty, the news that Liberty's much-coveted floral-print scarves will be available at our local Target is incredibly thrilling, though, we'll admit, the idea that major brands across the pond are turning to Target and JCPenney for their American distribution needs (as opposed to, say, opening up shops) says something about the state of many brand's current coffers. From the WWD article, it even sounds like the decision was at first hard to maneuver within Liberty, as CEO Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye told WWD: "People outside the U.S. don’t really know how big Target is and what it means ... Ed Burstell [Liberty’s buying director] and I had to explain to our shareholders just how important this collaboration could be."
Prices of the collection have not yet been released, though Target told WWD the entire fleet of goods would be "well priced." The collection itself is the largest in Target's history, explained de la Bourdonnaye: "There’s everything from bird houses and bicycles to lingerie."
