As Brigitte reported last week, the design duo behind Proenza Schouler was recently tapped to create the next GO International line for Target. Budget-conscious fashionistas who have admired the P.S. designs from afar (me!) rejoice at the idea of potentially owning a piece by the quirky designers. But not everyone is so charmed by the Target-etization of Proenza Schouler. In a Radar online article, Rachel Syme suggests that the discount chain alliance could be the ruin of the designer line. Citing the example of Isaac Mizrahi, Syme suggests that once you go low-range, you never go back.

To be honest, I think Syme's her argument smacks of elitist paranoia. If you look seriously at the designers who created lines for discount brands, you'll see that her claim is not substantiated. Take Stella McCartney, for instance, who has fared well, even flourished through her association with H&M. The same could easily be said for Karl Lagerfeld, who was otherwise walking perilously close to obsolesce prior to his H&M line.

Perhaps a long-term relationship with Target is not wise, but bringing the name and the brand of Proenza Schouler to a wider audience will eventually prove to be a shrewd decision. After all, the primary demographic of the GO International line (young, twenty-to-thirty-somethings) will get older, and they'll also get richer. If you tempt them with Target, eventually they'll follow you to Barneys.