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Target Unveils New Denim-Focused Brand That Will Replace Mossimo

Target continues to surprise us, in a great way.

The mass-retailer announced this week that they will be launching a new brand called Universal Thread, which will replace their Mossimo brand.

As we reported last summer, Target announced it would be dropping their Merona and Mossimo brands and trying to better their apparel offerings.

In Fall 2017, they launched four new brands: A New Day, Goodfellow & Co., JoyLab and Project 62. Two of those brands, A New Day and JoyLab are women’s apparel brands that also include plus sizes up to 4X and 26.

JoyLab

Universal Thread will also be available in plus sizes and the new private label brand will be focused on a tricky fashion segment… women’s denim.

The new brand will also feature shoes, tops and accessories but its main focus will be jeans. Target seems to be up to the challenge of tackling denim and delivering on its promise to offer well-fitting jeans at an affordable price.

With more than 500 items and nothing over $39.95, Target’s goal is not to gain a major profit but to become a major shopping destination for that shopper who wants to do it all in one place.

Target spokesperson Jessica Carlson told Adweek:

“We did guest research, and what we heard was shopping for denim was something women really dreaded.”

According to Adweek’s conversation with Carlson, “from a sample group of a thousand women across the country, Target heard answers such as, ‘I don’t really want to go and try on 25 pairs of jeans in all different sizes.’

Carlson adds:

“The key behind all of this, honestly, is [to] make Target the preferred destination.”

Mark Tritton, Target’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer said in an official statement:

“Denim is a part of every woman’s wardrobe, and with fewer options in the marketplace and learnings from the brands we’ve recently launched, we’re excited to bring our guests a lifestyle brand rooted in denim that’s also an amazing everyday value. This brand is all about ideas and outfits, not just items. It includes apparel, footwear and accessories that are sure to become guest favorites.

In developing this brand, we conducted research with nearly 1,000 women from across the country to better understand their needs when it comes to shopping denim. What we heard from nearly all of them was that they dreaded shopping for new jeans. Whether the rise was too long or the inseam was too short or the pair of jeans they wanted didn’t come in their size—finding the perfect fit for their body type was just too challenging. That’s a problem we wanted to solve. So, our design team rolled up their sleeves and got to work creating a line that caters to all women, with multiple fits, silhouettes, lengths, rises and sizes.”

We’re curious to see how these jeans will fit, especially for plus size women. It appears that Target has done its homework so we shall see.

Universal Thread will be available in all Target stores and online at Target.com on February 4th at prices ranging from $5 to $39.99 here.