Designer Diffusion Fashion Lines
Weigh the Pros and Cons of Buying Budget Designer Duds
Oct 24, 2008
A diffusion fashion line is the name for an accessible ready-to-wear line for the masses produced by a major designer who usual sells expensive couture. It all started when designers began creating diffusion lines of their own labels like D&G by Dolce & Gabbana and Gianni Versace’s Versace Jeans Couture. In the past few years, the new trend is for designers to create fashion lines for discount chains and department stores such as Vera Wang’s Simply Vera line for Kohl’s. But are these diffusion lines all they are cracked up to be? Before you put down your hard-earned cash for a name on a label, weigh the pros and cons for yourself.
Paying Top Dollar for an Inferior Product
There’s no doubt that diffusion lines are popular, and it might be the closest thing to couture that a women on a budget can get. When H & M released their line by Karl Lagerfeld, women were queued up around the block to get their hands on the cheap-chic designer duds. Additionally, some retailers build hysteria around their diffusion lines by telling consumers that items are made in small quantities and will only be available for a limited time.
However, you may be just paying a hefty price for the label and similar clothes could be obtained at a more reasonable price. Remember that diffusion line clothing is often made with cheaper fabrics and materials and the quality of the clothing often suffers. So-called “limited edition” clothes often wind up on the clearance rack at 50% off.
Couture Copies at a Fraction of the Price
Some diffusion lines are similar to a designer’s couture line, so you will be able to build a designer-inspired wardrobe on a budget. For example, John Coviello created a diffusion line for Spiegel that was true to his runway line. The Spiegel pieces were all under $100 while his runway looks go for $300-$450. Ralph Lauren now sells a preppy diffusion line called American Living at JCPenney. Ralph Lauren fans can stock up on his trademark polo shirts for $50 instead of $90.
All Diffusion Lines are Not Created Equal
Diffusion lines created by the actual designer are typically superior to diffusion lines made and mass produced by a designer/discount chain team. A diffusion line (sometimes called a secondary line) produced by the designer, like Marc by Marc Jacobs, is usually made better than one created and marketed by a designer/discount chain team like Isaac Mizrahi for Target.
American retailer Target has joined forces with some of the most popular designers to produce its ultra successful Go International line. Luella Bartley, Jovovich-Hawk, and Paul & Joe have all worked with the big box retailer. The customer comments at Target.com about the different Go International lines are diverse and mixed. Some customers appreciated having fashionable clothes at affordable prices, yet other were turned off by the price compared to the quality and design of the product. Furthermore, many customers were troubled by the size variations and the awkward fit.
The bottom line is: buy a diffusion line because you like the clothes, not because it has a big name on the label.
