So, I know Target (pronounced Tar-zhay) can make great T-shirts. I've seen them in stores, at least in North Carolina. In high school much of my parent-supplied wardrobe came from Target, and in college me and my room mates would make Target runs to pick up things like shower curtains and whatever. Target is cheap but nice, and they do have talented designers working for them. Last time I was in a big Target store I saw that they had really hip t-shirts with designs that evoked feelings like using a flash-based webpage and looking at cool amateur screen-printed shirts in Union Square. I don't really buy clothes anymore, and I don't shop at Target either. There isn't much of a Target presence in New York anyway, except for later this week.
I have had the pleasure of helping talented designer David Stark set up four brand new Target stores in Manhattan. Target, wearing its sunglasses at night and giving a double finger-point-gun to passersby, is emphasizing its hip edgy urban brand image by opening the stores as "Target Bodegas" for NY's fashion week.
The stores are decorated like a cartoon bodega with graphic panels depicted common bodega products like junk food, soaps, cereals, etc and large prop drink coolers, ice cream chillers and meat freezers, all in primary red and yellow. David Stark surely delivered on what Target wanted, creating a surreal parody of a bodega with a few points of genius detail. The otherwise simple and flat mood graphics of the bodega products all have weights on the products (i.e. the drawing of soda lists the net volume, 1 liter.) that creates a subliminal effect that adds excitement to the otherwise repetitive decor. The fauxdega is of course all about the Target brand, so their bullseye logo is EVERYWHERE like a strange distopia wherein all products are Target branded. I personally feel that the rampant yellow and red is oppressive but when the fauxdega is packed with people (as it inevitably will be) it may contribute to an overall brightening of the space.
Other than the theme of "bodega" the Target fauxdegas have nothing to do with real bodegas. Like a chapter from my upcoming 900 page philosophical exegesis "The Metaprocession of the Hyperreal: Facade, Spectacle, Unreality in New New York*" Target executives decided that the Target brand-identity could be enhanced by showcasing their new products in a format that is closely related to living in the boroughs of New York City; a certain image for their mainly suburban audience, and brand-work/publicity for the beginning of Fashion Week. The fauxdega is a simulation of a vague idea of a bodega, it captures the basic look of a bodega while not selling anything that a bodega actually sells. To be accurate though, it isn't truly hyperreal: It is not quite simulacra because it is a first-degree simulation, but it is a purified simulation of the sort that Disney is best known for. Like Epcot, it cloaks itself in the image of a thing, but an impression, a parody if you will. Unlike Epcot though, and most notable, the facade is only a shell, and the yolk is a completely different animal.
The core of the fauxdegas is Target's partnership with notable designers, none of which I have heard of before. Disregard the fact that all products are designed, these products are designed by upscale designers, leaders in their field, or something to that effect.
The women's line has some vest-tops and tank-tops that are attractive, but just in time for fall and winter when pretty girls won't be able to rock them properly. The men's and boy's clothes involve striped polo shirts and puffy vests that are highly anonymous going-back-to-school clothes. I guess parents still buy clothes for their kids at Target. With the exception of of great looking coat by Converse I wasn't blown away by their clothes. A particular disappointment was their t-shirts. Their offering in this spectacle was plain white and black t-shirt when I know they have cool t-shirt designs. The shoes were Converses for the men, and the women's shoes were mostly high heels, and I'm not a fan of heels. There was a spectacular pair of vivid blue pearled flats from Sigerson Morrison, but no other flats. Sadly, no boots; this fall and winter, if you want to be the hype shit, you're going to want some nice boots. You heard that here first, right fucking now.
The housewares collection had some nice clocks and a pair of very creative tea pots. There are some surprisingly robust yet stylish toilet brushes as well. As usual, Target's housewares is a solid collection designed by Michael Graves, who was Target's first designer; the tea pots and containers will look familiar to anyone who has been though Target's housewares section in the past few years. Fortunately, it is a strong, clean looking style.
In my opinion the purses are too loud for anyone over the age of 14, and I'm not knowledgeable about the make-up selection, but I recommend going au natural whenever possible. There are also some lawn gnomes that almost killed me. They jumped down at me with their pointy caps to try to crack open my skull and feast upon my brains, so I can't really recommend them.
As part of the spectacle the fauxdegas are only open for 4 days. It took longer than that to set them up. Fortunately for Target there is already quite a buzz. People would pass by and notice the stores and even SMS their friends. I overheard concern about long lines and crowding in the stores; the consumer's in-store experience was definitely a prime concern of Target executives, so I'm sure the crowd isn't going to be too bad of a scene, and the interior designers have laid out the two stores I have seen (B'way & 11th st and 6th ave & 57th st) in a way to maximize the space.
I doubt that I'll stop by one of the stores, but they are certainly interesting installations in Manhattan. They are a sort of brand-art exhibit. We shall see if four days is enough for Target or enough for New Yorkers.
Here is a Target commercial with music and dancing:
...and here is the full music video for Calabria, which itself is a little like a Target commercial except none of the fashions depicted are available in the fauxdegas. One day I'll shop at Target and be the sharp looking gentlemen in this video:
*itself a facade, a spectacle, an unreality. I mentioned it to enhance my brand-identity
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