by Claudia Bruemmer

Haute couture designers, who design, make, and sell highly fashionable, custom-made clothing for women, formerly catered only to the very rich. Suddenly, their designs have become available for everywoman. Designers like Missoni, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and Vera Wang are creating special lines for stores like Target, H&M, Macy’s and Zale’s.

Shoppers are seeing more bargains in luxury items as elite fashion designers go mass market. What does this mean for the wholesale industry? More orders from retail buyers to satisfy the frenzy in consumer demand. Consumers are responding to the availability of exclusive designs at a discount, resulting in huge sales. Evidently, Target’s recent launch of its exclusive Missoni line attracted huge crowds, crashing the company’s website. The merchandise, priced from $30 to $600, sold out in days, leaving many consumers disappointed.

Vera Wang is designing engagement rings for Zale’s, and you can get a special Karl Lagerfeld collection at Macy’s. Because of the weak economy, rich people are cutting back. So, why not design haute couture for everyone? H&M’s lines with Roberto Cavalli and Stella McCartney have been quite successful, with shoppers lined up overnight. Two of H&M’s most recent designer collections, Jimmy Choo and Lanvin, were so popular that a limited number of shoppers were let in the store at a time and were allowed to shop for a limited number of items while others waited their turn.

Young people who could never afford Missoni, for instance, were happy to get designer items at low prices. They realize these items aren’t identical to what the brand’s rich clientele get, but it’s affordable and stylish.

Until recently, most designers maintained tight control over their labels, releasing only a small number of items to their own boutiques and the most exclusive department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. However, there seems to be a big change in what designers can and cannot do these days, which is why this trend seems to be working. Designers can mix and match price points and still maintain their high-end customers because customers know the higher-priced lines feature better quality workmanship, more exclusive designs and more expensive fabrics.

This new trend brings fashion to another level because high-fashion designs are more attainable. For instance, the coming Versace collection at H&M will be priced from $30 to $400; but better versions at Neiman Marcus might cost over $2,000.

Shoppers who long coveted the pricey brands but couldn’t afford them are lapping them up quickly. The availability of the brands at everyday retailers has caused a buying frenzy, especially for items that are around for only a few weeks. On the date of the Missoni at Target launch, customers were waiting with bated breath to learn the exact time Missoni items would be available online, which happened around 3 a.m. in some areas.

Designer partnerships have become popular because of the sagging economy, forcing retailers and fashion’s top tier to come up with new ways to drive sales. Pundits say the trend has resulted in the “democratization of fashion,” making it cool to wear luxury brands with discount finds. Now that the stigma has been removed from cheap-chic, designers can use low-priced collaborations as an opportunity to expand their bottom line.