• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 2, 2019

It’s been 20 years since Target has been using design collaborations: a full two decades of Michael Graves teakettles, Missoni roller bags and Marimekko fabrics.

To celebrate, the Minneapolis retailer is bringing back the old items in a completely new way. Target says it is resurrecting some 300 limited-edition pieces from 20 of its design collaborations, with prices ranging from $7 to $160.

To support the big event, it will run a marketing campaign to celebrate not just the items themselves, but the way these design partnerships have increased the brand’s cachet over the years, with the mission of democratizing beautifully designed items.

“Our marketing campaign will celebrate the inclusive nature of design at Target — including a book and documentary that highlight Target’s impact on the retail industry and our guests’ lives by making great design accessible to everyone,” states Rick Gomez, executive vice president, chief marketing and digital officer.

The book, “Target: 20 Years of Design for All: How Target Revolutionized Accessible Design,” will be published by Rizzoli. The company has released the trailer for the documentary, produced by RadicalMedia, and says the film is scheduled for release this fall.

The collection hits stores and online on Sept. 14, and offers will vary by store. The chain is limiting purchases to five items per person, perhaps eliminating one of the major sore points of its collaborations. Many of the cheap-chic offerings were so highly anticipated that items sold out immediately, sometimes crashing the retailer’s website.

Its 2015 collaboration with Lilly Pulitzer, for example, infuriated many loyalists. After waiting for hours, many found stores completely out of stock and went home empty-handed, only to see the items hawked on sites like eBay, often at double the prices.