You’ve got to hand it to Target: Although it’s one of America’s massiest mass retailers, the chain still manages to give back everyday, putting 5 percent of its income toward each store’s local community. Target — aka, le francais Tar-jé– is also chicer than its competition, thanks in part to an ongoing series of limited edition partnerships with some of the coolest designers around. Even if you’re not familiar with every fashionable name Target works with, the quality of these collaborations is always high, and they offer a great way to get super-chic clothing and accessories at bargain-basement prices.
Target is rolling out several tempting new collaborations over the next couple months; the first — a line of handbags from New York’s Felix Rey — just hit Target.com today. (It’s scheduled to debut in bricks-and-mortar stores on Sunday.) Just like the main Felix Rey line, these bags are whimsical but elegant, polished but never too stuffy or serious. The Target collection has an oceanic/nautical theme — with waves, fish, and coral as recurring motifs — and includes a handful of clutches and several different styles of totes. Each bag looks like it could’ve been borrowed from Carrie Bradshaw or Blair Waldorf… except, unlike the pieces in those fictional girls’ closets, these bags start at just $19.99.
By the way, the creative force behind this company isn’t actually a guy named Felix Rey. When friends and co-designers Lily Band and Sulaika Zarrouk originally launched the line, seeing a portrait of the doctor who cared for Vincent Van Gogh’s chopped-off ear, whose name really was Felix Rey, inspired the moniker. The pair particularly liked the fact that the name loosely translates as “happy king” — the perfect label for something as classy but fun as the bags and small leather goods in their collection.
The Target collaboration is particularly fitting for Felix Rey, since giving back is also an inherent part of the way the brand does business. Throughout each year, Band and Zarrouk support many charities, including The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, The Food Bank of New York, The Henry Street Settlement and VH1 Save the Music. “We believe in giving back to our community and do so as often as possible,” Lily Band explains. “We feel strongly about philanthropy simply because it benefits others. And we were honored to be asked to work with Target, which is a highly philanthropic organization.”
In addition, Felix Rey recently overhauled its daily environmental footprint. For example, its old standard plastic packaging has just been replaced with 100 percent PLA biodegradable material made from corn. Since the collection needs to be shipped to stores around the world, Band and Zarrouk worked with Carbonfund,org to determine the carbon footprint of getting orders out, completely offsetting those emissions. To help encourage consumers make a difference too, they’ve introduced an organic cotton eco tote for grocery shopping and errands.
If your own weekend errands include a run to Target, be prepared to covet just about the everything in the Felix Rey line. And since the most expensive item in this appealing collection is just $49.99, you won’t have to go broke buying your heart’s desire.
The Felix Rey for Target collection is available at
