Karl Lagerfeld 4 Macy’s

Title: Karl Lagerfeld aims to give Macy’s contemporary business a kick come fall.

The multitasking designer is the latest to design an exclusive capsule collection for the department store group, which will launch Aug. 31 in 235 of Macy’s 800-plus stores, and on macys.com.

The Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse collection will have 45 limited edition styles and an average price tag of $100, though items will range from $50 to $170, putting it within Macy’s “better” price zone. Lagerfeld’s exclusives for Macy’s will have a limited run, from six to eight weeks, depending on consumer reaction.

The Macy’s collaboration is “a kind of test how to do this kind of clothes in that price range....As you know, I love occasional co-branding,” deadpanned Lagerfeld, who ignited the masstige movement in 2004 when he partnered with fast-fashion giant H&M on a one-time collection that sold out in a flash, spurring annual designer tie-ups at H&M and copycat strategies by other low-cost players.

The prolific Lagerfeld has engaged in numerous fashion collaborations, including H&M, Diesel, Hogan and alpine specialist Napapijri, even pens and lighters for French accessories firm S.T. Dupont and tableware for Swedish crystal maker Orrefors. “It’s interesting to see and participate in the world of others in that business on all kinds of levels,” he said. (Credit: http://www.wwd.com/)