Target has been killing it lately with their designer collections! From Peter Pilotto to Prabal Gurung, Target is quickly becoming the go-to destination for designer duds on the cheap. The newest collection featuring Joseph Altuzarra, CFDA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year, released its highly anticipated look book earlier this week. The gorgeous coats, sleek suits, and sophisticated dresses rapidly had potential buyers drooling.
Soon, shoppers noticed a problem – none the clothing in the line is scheduled to be plus-sized. Chastity Garner Valentine, writer of the blog GarnerStyle: The Curvy Girl Style Guide, wrote a letter to Target that has gained traction on social media. In the letter, Valentine slams the retailer and remarks:
‘Year after year, season after season, you put out these gorgeous designer collections and you almost never include a plus range. Every time each of these collections is about to be released it feels like a slap in the face. To add insult to injury, over 6 months ago, you took most of your plus size clothing out of the store, promising me something new and improved and that has yet to happen. I’ve been in this abusive relationship with you for far too long. I can’t do this anymore. I will be personally boycotting Target altogether. No more housewares, grocery shopping, electronics…nothing. I’m done.’
Many customers have joined Valentine in her boycott of Target. #BoycottingTarget and #AltuzarraForTarget started exploding on Twitter as fashionistas weighed in on the issue. Most agreed with Valentine and vented their frustration at Target’s exclusion, while a small minority supported the limited sizing. In addition, many fashionistas brought up Target’s current lack of plus-sized clothing; the retailer had promised in March to release a new plus-sized line but has made no farther mention of the new line or given a release date. Meanwhile, plus-sized clothing has been disappearing from Targets and has not been replaced. As the average clothing size goes up, Target needs to join the ranks of other retailers and offer a wide variety of sizes.
The Joseph Altuzarra for Target collection will be in stores September 14th and will run $17.99-$90.