Prabal Gurung Could Save eBay From Being A 'Fast-Fashion Graveyard'
The collection by Prabal Gurung gives the retailer a chance to redeem itself after the failure of its Neiman Marcus line.
A handful of items from the upcoming collection are on eBay for well above retail price, reports Kerry Folan at Racked.
There's a floral dress with a "buy it now" price of over $250, while the dress retails for $49.95. A pair of black sandals that will sell for $29.99 are listed at $200. And a printed clutch that costs $34.99 in stores is selling for $179 on eBay.
The listings show that eBay sellers aren't gun shy after lack of demand for Target's Neiman Marcus line and H&M's Maison Martin Margiela line turned the website into a "fast-fashion graveyard."
Merchants on eBay used to be able to sell popular lines like Missoni for Target and Versace for H&M at insane mark-ups.
There was speculation that the market was saturated with high-low designer collaborations and that shoppers were no longer impressed by big names.
The Neiman Marcus and Maison Martin Margiela failures seemed to confirm that designer collaborations were past their prime.
But the more likely explanation is that these lines weren't properly executed.
The Neiman Marcus collaboration was criticized for being over-priced. The selections also missed the mark: instead of having Oscar de la Renta design an inexpensive version of the dresses he's known for, he released a set of dog bowls.
The Maison Martin Margiela line failed because it was too obscure from H&M's mainstream audience.
Meanwhile, Target's Prabal Gurung line appears to be well-executed. The collection includes pretty floral dresses, sandals and purses.
If the line does well, Target could debunk the theory that designer collaborations are over.
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