THE COOL PEOPLE ARE TRENDING DOWN AT BRAND CENTRAL

If you thought the marketing execs at Target are doing a great job of elevating the status of this budget retailer, you’re right. Apparently the Target name and red and white bulls-eye logo are so hip that Ross Misher (Brand Central CEO) is taking it up a notch. Starting this month the couture line of (Target inspired) merchandise will be sold at Intuition, a trendy specialty store in LA.

"Target is so hip and cool now and Intuition is the hip place to shop in Los Angeles," said president of Brand Central, Jaye Hersh. "It's a perfect fit to be able to have the iconic bulls-eye represented in hip clothing and accessories and to be able to launch the product here. I think it's going to be huge."

The collection will include designer handbags by Jaye Hersh, denim by Jaye and Co., fine jewelry by Lizzie Scheck Jewelry, accessories by Madeline Beth, fashion tops by Mighty Fine and cashmere by Raw-7. Prices from $25 to $3,000, and will incorporate a designer interpretation of the Target bulls-eye.

Here’s the rest of the article, FYI.

Trendy Target Goes Haute Couture
May 01, 2006

NEW YORK -- Target, the mass retailer that reigns supreme with trendy, cost-conscious consumers, has given its blessing to a couture line that will be sold at hip Los Angeles specialty store Intuition beginning this month and roll out to other boutiques in the fall. The collection will not be sold at Target.

The idea for the collection originated with Ross Misher, CEO of Brand Central, who approached Intuition founder and president Jaye Hersh, who is designer and retail partner for the collection. Both companies are located in Los Angeles.

Brand Central is a brand consultancy representing corporate and entertainment brands such as moviemaker The Weinstein Company, Kellogg, Sony TV, The Boondocks, Mark Burnett Productions and The Apprentice.

"We started recognizing about a year ago that influencers and trendsetters were proud to show off their Target product from the store, and the brand and the iconic bulls-eye had become such a fashion of cool from their fantastic advertising and what they've done with their stores," said Misher."

We came up with the idea at Brand Central and approached Jaye Hersh, who immediately came on board as the designer and retail partner for the collection. Together we approached Target for the permission to use their marks to create high-end fashion items based on the iconic bulls-eye."

The collection will launch at other specialty boutiques later in the year, he said. National marketing and advertising by Intuition are in the planning stages.