Following its highly sought-after and fast-selling 2021 collaborations, Target is finally releasing the second edition of its Fall Designer Collection just in time for fall — and we got all the details.
Colombian designer Kika Vargas, teamed up with Target on the collection, which hits stores Oct. 9. More than 100 size-inclusive apparel styles and accessories heavily inspired by their respective designers’ signature silhouettes will be on offer.
For Vargas, the collaboration pays homage to her Colombian heritage, lensed in a puffed-sleeve fantasy, with her romantic ready-to-wear pieces adorned with hand-drawn prints in out-there proportions.
“It was a smooth process,” she tells Fashionista of working with Target. “As a small brand, we don’t get to experiment and be so inclusive with sizing, so that that was such a blessing to be able to work with a wide range of sizing and to feature products that are inclusive for everyone.” Vargas’ racks are packed with vibrantly-printed dresses and skirts (which yes, come with pockets), as well as wraparound and comfy bottoms.
For Kika Vargas and her eponymous brand, this is her chance to share her Colombian heritage with a wider audience. The designer, who has a fine arts background and hand-draws all her prints, drew inspiration from her home country.
“This was a really nice moment to just sit down and bring in all this Colombian heritage — the colors and the warmth — while keeping the collection diverse and inclusive,” Vargas tells PEOPLE. “With the prints, I wanted to bring that inspiration from Colombia. I drew flowers, and then there’s this print inspired by the ocean. We have both oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific, so it’s the corals and such.”
The designers behind each of these brands have a very distinct style and color palette that they work with. For all of them, translating that into an affordable collection with Target that still felt authentic — with pieces ranging from $8 to $70 — was pleasantly surprising.
Vargas, who first launched her brand a decade ago before relaunching in 2018, is known for her prints, bold colors and voluminous silhouettes, which you’ll find throughout her collection. A floral-print pink dress with exaggerated shoulders is her favorite piece, but she wants Target customers to be bold with mixing and matching all the pieces, no matter the print, silhouette or hue.
“All the dresses have pockets because it’s really important for us to always have pockets,” Vargas says, knowing how big of a deal that is to shoppers. “Also, art is one of the biggest inspirations for the collection. I try to have other artists and their work involved in mine. So sitting down and drawing, I’ll barricade myself at home with music on or podcasts and disconnect from the world and draw away. I studied fine arts first before becoming a designer, and that’s a big part of my creation.”
Her collection includes dresses, jackets, sunglasses, bags and even glasses chains so you never have to worry about misplacing them when you take them off. While some pieces are in muted shades, where Vargas’ collection really shines is with the bright prints and shimmering fabrics that would feel at home on celebrities like Zendaya and Taylor Swift (two of the designer’s favorites).
Mauricio Quintana
@MaoKintana