Fresh off designing his 100-piece capsule collection for Target (debuting September 15), we caught up with the designer before his next stop –– New York Fashion Week! Checkout the designer’s exclusive chat with us here.
ESSENCE.com: The collection is great and fans can now covet styles similar to your main line. How do you balance offering your amazing signature style/pieces to the masses at Target without competing with your own collection?
PHILLIP LIM: It was really important to me to keep my signature style and high quality within the collection. It was a challenge but it is exciting to see my designs transformed into mass-produced product.
ESSENCE.com: If you had to pick one 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target piece our reader should add to her closet, which item would it be and why?
LIM: I really can’t pick a favorite; however, if I had to choose, I absolutely love the bags. They are perfect to wear throughout all phases of life because for women, the modern day reality is constantly being on the go and I want women to feel ready for that. I will definitely be adding the valise bag to my personal wardrobe, it is classic and perfect for me since I’m always on the go.
ESSENCE.com: What makes your collection and your signature style stand out from designers that have collaborated with Target in the past?
LIM: I worked together with Target to create a collection that is true to my signature aesthetic, taking inspiration from archival pieces to create new styles exclusively for Target.
ESSENCE.com: Of all the retailers that are doing designer collaborations, why did you choose to team up with Target?
LIM: It was more of a courtship- I spied them, they spied me. In the first meeting with Target, we evaluated how we function individually as a designer and as a retailer. We took a look at where we parallel and where we contrast and I knew that this would be more than just a collection, it would be a moment that would be worth something.
ESSENCE.com: New York Fashion Week is fast approaching, could you give us a teaser on what to expect for the Spring 2014 collection and how you plan to top the epic accessories you designed last season?
LIM: It is always about improving things for me so you will have to wait and see! I take great pleasure in enhancing what already exists.