If you’re wondering why your Instagram feed is washed in stark whites and cobalt blues this morning, the long-awaited collab between Dion Lee and Target has officially launched – drawing giant crowds and reigniting the fashion set’s love affair with sports luxe. Ahead of the launch of Dion Lee for Target, we took five with Dion over lunch to speak about partnering with Target, the design process, of course, the collection itself.
Speaking about how the collaboration came about, Dion says “The Designers for Target team approached me mid last year and we started having a conversation about whether or not I was open to the idea of collaborating, and initially I [wasn’t sure] what direction the collaboration might take [but] the more and more we talked about it, and explored the concept, the more I understood what would work for the brand and what would work for both parties.”
Elaborating, he points to the partnerships with international designers Missoni and Stella McCartney as examples of Target’s success with designers. “It’s been really great to see [the outcome of collaborations with] many of the large scale international brands they’ve collaborated with. That gave me confidence in the type of product, how it is executed, and how it is communicated”.
Known as one of Australia’s most technical designers, the Dion Lee for Target collection carries through the infamous later cut detailing and sharp tailoring of his eponymous line, but it feels unique to the capsule collection.
“I think the things that governed [the collection] were not so much the textiles, but [the Target team] did a wonderful job meeting the brief for the fabrications and being able to achieve interesting techniques with the fabrics.
“It really came down to bringing a simplicity into the shapes, and a real wearability in each piece. This was the really interesting part of the process, really analysing what makes each piece wearable, and what makes each piece desirable to different type of consumers”.
One of the main talking points of this collaboration is of course the extension into performance wear. “The opportunity with the collaboration was really to do things on a certain scale that I don’t always have access to when I’m working on a smaller scale, I think it was great to be able to put techniques into production that we might have previously touched on in the main line, but it was achieved with a little more ease [with this collaboration].
One of the main talking points of this collaboration is of course the extension into performance wear, a fact that’s not lost on Dion. “The opportunity with the collaboration was really to do things on a certain scale that I don’t always have access to when I’m working on a smaller scale, I think it was great to be able to put techniques into production that we might have previously touched on in the main line, but it was achieved with a little more ease [with this collaboration].
With the success of the previous Designers for Target, it’s an inevitability that more and more fashion lovers will get to know the Dion Lee brand. “I think what we do is still very niche, and it’s very ‘luxury’ in its position, so I’m really excited that people are interested in this collaboration, and hopefully [after launch] will want to know more about us, and visit our stores. It’s like an introduction to what we do”.
Dion Lee for Target is on sale online and in selected stores now.
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