Imitations by Target

[captainmo]

I went to Target the other day and found some long sleeve Merona shirts. They were really similar to the J Crew t shirts linked below, with a broken-in wash. I was actually wearing a J Crew shirt (but cuffless, not on the website anymore) when I found them. The target shirt is 50% cotton, 50% polyester, but feels just like the J Crew one. It was also tagged, and fits like, an athletic cut. I actually like the target shirt more, because the sleeves on the J crew T are a little too long. The J Crew was originally tagged ~$30, but I got it on sale with a student discount, came out to $11.xx. I bought two from target at $10.99 each. http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/Mens...9214/79214.jsp Any other instances of Target selling things really similar to better brands?

 

[ahjota]

A long-sleeve t-shirt without a pocket, garment-washed. I fail to see how this is an imitation of a "better" brand.

 

[mulansauce]

I found a t-shirt there once that was just like the AA one I was wearing--short sleeves, cotton, stitching, tag--exact copy of AA. They are sneaky like that.

 

[obeserabbit]

i bought some merona shirts on ebay for really cheap, just curious to see the fit/quality after hearing about them

 

[Lysol]

Originally Posted by mulansauce

I found a t-shirt there once that was just like the AA one I was wearing--short sleeves, cotton, stitching, tag--exact copy of AA. They are sneaky like that.

To be fair, Target t-shirts don't have tags.

 

[mulansauce]

^
This was years ago, before they started copying Hanes.

 

[raginberriodoom]

I hate clothing with alot of polyester in them, since it creates alot of static electricity.

 

[robbie]

lets not turn this into a '**** talking about target' thread.

but... the entire Merona line is geared at people who tend to shop at BR,JC,and Gap.

Converse One Star is for people who want something slightly cheaper than GAP

and all the collabs with designers are to attract people interested in clothing into the store long enough that they pass the groceries and impulse buy cheatos.

 

[Nataku]

A couple of good friends work at the Target headquarters here in Minneapolis and they've told me that the company purchases mid-level and high end clothing to design their "Merona" and other in-store labels after. They then donate these "samples" to charitys.

I've come across everything from J.Crew, BR, AA and Gap to Nice Collective, Umii 908, Steven Alan and Tim Hamilton. They use a lot of obscure european labels as well.

In one instance I purchased a Fred Perry polo from the charity that had a sticky note that said "Use fabric". I was curious and wandered into a Target store a couple months later to see a Mossimo (or Merona) polo with the exact same pattern/colors.

 

[skunkworks]

Originally Posted by Nataku

A couple of good friends work at the Target headquarters here in Minneapolis and they've told me that the company purchases mid-level and high end clothing to design their "Merona" and other in-store labels after. They then donate these "samples" to charitys.

I've come across everything from J.Crew, BR, AA and Gap to Nice Collective, Umii 908, Steven Alan and Tim Hamilton. They use a lot of obscure european labels as well.

In one instance I purchased a Fred Perry polo from the charity that had a sticky note that said "Use fabric". I was curious and wandered into a Target store a couple months later to see a Mossimo (or Merona) polo with the exact same pattern/colors.

Interesting!

 

[hamm23]

Originally Posted by Nataku

A couple of good friends work at the Target headquarters here in Minneapolis and they've told me that the company purchases mid-level and high end clothing to design their "Merona" and other in-store labels after. They then donate these "samples" to charitys.

I've come across everything from J.Crew, BR, AA and Gap to Nice Collective, Umii 908, Steven Alan and Tim Hamilton. They use a lot of obscure european labels as well.

In one instance I purchased a Fred Perry polo from the charity that had a sticky note that said "Use fabric". I was curious and wandered into a Target store a couple months later to see a Mossimo (or Merona) polo with the exact same pattern/colors.

Where do they donate the clothes to?

 

[PG2G]

Originally Posted by hamm23

Where do they donate the clothes to?

He won't tell you, doesn't want to blow up his spot

 

[milosz]

Patterned OCBDs aren't exactly a new concept, but the "Shirting By Merona" labels in the new Meronas are pretty clearly J. Crew rips. Nice enough shirts on the cheap.

 

[2sweet]

Well, whatever they're doing, they're doing it right. I picked up a bunch of stuff this weekend. The quality, given the price is extraordinary. Every single sweater you'll buy at Target is not only 1/2 to 1/3 the price of what you would pay at a place like The Gap, the cut is infinitely more flattering, and the quality of materials is just as good if not superior.

10-11 years ago, the quality of apparel at Target was laughably bad, while a place like the Gap was rock solid for price and quality. Now, Target's quality is astonishingly high for the price, and The Gap is literally an embarrassment.

 

[pitboss12]

I've heard that Target donates samples and overstocks to charities as well. I think they do it as part of their community involvement initiatives and to bury the evidence...