Sick of designer collaborations yet? Well, get ready to muster some excitement for the latest marriage of a high fashion figure and a mass retailer: Derek Lam and Kohl's.
We had speculated about this possibility in June after Women's Wear Daily briefly mentioned the possibility. Now, WWD confirms that the American designer will be the second participant in the DesigNation project for Kohl's, which asks designers to create a destination-inspired collection for the mass retailer. (You may remember Narcisso Rodriguez's Istanbul collection from the summer -- if you have any more brain space for these sort of things, that is.)
Lam's destination of choice is Brazil, but don't expect to see only skimpy bikinis and beachwear. It happened to rain the entire time he was in Rio de Janeiro, so the collection reflects what he saw on his trips to the museums and botanical gardens rather than days spent lounging in the sand (even though this collection will include his recent foray into swimwear design). Expect to see deep, saturated colors like jungle green, aquamarine and orange sorbet.
But, like all designer collabs, the best part is the price tag. Lam's collection will retail from $36 to $98 and will be available on the Kohl's website in April and May. “I really believe that as a designer, now we can do different things. Accessibility is no longer the opposite of luxury,” Lam told WWD.
If you're not exactly jumping for joy, don't worry. Lam himself wasn't too thrilled with the idea after debuting his own collab with eBay back in 2011. When asked if he'd every consider another one, Lam told Styleite, “I personally said I never wanted to do that, not because I was being a snob, but I felt like by the time I was ready… it didn’t feel fresh anymore -- so many people have already done it... I think collaborations are wonderful, but I’m always looking at it from, 'Are we doing something new?'”
Well, it seems that Lam found that something during his trip to Brazil. Are you excited for Derek Lam's line for Kohl's or has the recent barrage of designer collaborations left you decidedly neutral?
Click over to Women's Wear Daily for more details.
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