Designer Isaac Mizrahi has entered into a deal with Target to become the retailer’s creative director at large, a role that includes mentoring in-house designers, advising on product design and innovation, enabling new partnerships, and helping to strengthen the company’s design authority and cultural relevance.
Mizrahi (pictured above) will also work with the company to enhance its merchandising authority, Target stated. In doing so, the company noted, he will help strengthen Target’s position as a destination for superior design at value. Mizrahi will serve as an advisor on key product and design initiatives, including new merchandise concepts, innovation advancement, and the adoption of emerging trends.
In more specific terms, Target noted, Mizrahi will team with Gena Fox, the company’s senior vice president of design, to:
- Identify opportunities for alignment, capability improvement, and formation of experiences that bolster design leadership
- Contribute to creative immersion experiences and inspiration trips
- Arrange workshops and consultations
- Plan experiential moments
- Boost brand storytelling
- Forge design-focused collaborations and purpose-driven partnerships, including community engagement initiatives
Mizrahi will also mentor and support talent, including through a program launching this summer designed to accelerate creative development by drawing on insights from Mizrahi’s decades-long career. Select Target designers ranging from established leaders to emerging creatives will work directly with Mizrahi in one-on-one mentorship sessions, immersion experiences and inspirational trips, and workshops and consultations, the company pointed out
“Great design is deeply human,” said Cara Sylvester, Target executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. “It ignites confidence and joy, and it’s what guests tell us they love about shopping at Target. Isaac has always believed, as we do, that great design should be accessible to everyone. What excites me most is the opportunity to pair his creativity and perspective with the incredible talent we already have inside Target as we shape the next chapter of style and design for our guests.”
Mizrahi added, “My partners at Target and I have always shared the idea that great design should belong to everybody, and Target is poised to be the design authority in a way only Target can. My role is to collaborate with its incredible team to bring more joy, style and sophistication to design through storytelling, creativity and a shopping experience that feels even more fun.”
