Discount shopping service

Is nothing sacred? Not only has this year seen some of today's most prestigious designers and brands migrating to the mass channel, but couture, custom-tailored apparel is now available for purchase on Target.com. At this rate, 2004 could be well be looked at as the year that convention went through the plate-glass window in the apparel industry--the year that the line between mass and class began to blur beyond recognition.

Once the exclusive province of royalty and until recently limited to the wealthy or famous, custom-made apparel was out-of-reach for common folk. However, modern technology has made it economical while retaining a sense of prestige that obviously appealed to fashion-conscious Target.

Target loves to stand convention on its head with its marketing techniques. After all, it was the first mass retailer to start introducing designer brands into the product mix. The new custom service, Target to a 'T', enables customers to sign up for a free account that stores their customized size profile. They can then order custom-fitted garments from a limited merchandise selection. This includes Mossimo jeans in women's and Cherokee khakis and Merona dress shirts in men's, topping out at $44.99. Items, available on the "Target to a 'T'" sub-site on Target.com, are delivered in three to four weeks. The company announced its new service mid-September, after quietly testing it for a few weeks beforehand.

"Target to a 'T'" is just one more way guests of all shapes and sizes can expect more from Target.com," said Dale Nitschke, president, Target.com. "At Target.com, guests can find the same trusted brands and designer products as in a Target store, as well as a huge selection of exclusive merchandise and services. Target to a 'T' complements our current assortment of apparel from designers like Mossimo and Isaac Mizrahi."

While Levi Strauss was one of the first to offer custom apparel at affordable price points using body-scanning technology in its San Francisco flagship store, both Target.com and Lands' End use Archetype Solutions Inc. to produce the final product. This company's proprietary sizing software was developed based on years of research on body proportion and designed to calculate the ideal fit--not just based on measurements, but shape.

Archetype's program works; it has helped make Lands' End Custom a best-selling segment of the Sears-owned Lands' End business. It has expanded from its initially limited offering of men's and women's khakis in 2001 to jeans, dress shirts and even outerwear. Like Lands' End, Target is focusing the custom-fit service on some of its core SKUs.

While personalization was an overpowering trend at the beginning of this year, it is clear that customization had taken over as the ultimate luxury.

Luxury in general has become important at mass. This new service complements other high-end touches in Target's assortment. Surprising fabrications including leather and cash mere are easy to find this fall at Target, Kmart and Wal-Mart.

Once again, however, Target has set itself apart from its mass competitors, taking its own level of service and product offering one step further. While other discounters, including H&M with its exclusive new line by Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, have followed in Target's wake, the latter appears to have hit the bulls' eye once again.