Max Azria for Walmart: style disaster in the making

Twitter, fashion blogs, and industry-message boards all over the web have been a buzz today with the announcement of the collaboration between Max Azria, Miley Cyrus, and Walmart stores. Said to be an “affordable junior line”, the Cyrus/Azria collection of tees, pants and shoes all priced under $20 will debut this August.

But is it a good idea for BCBG?

I say, no way! The label, which has had its ups and downs of the years, is currently going strong both in concept and execution. Recent runway shows have illustrated a desire to elevate the label beyond a shopping mall standard, with better construction and more fashion-forward styles.

So why Walmart now? Unlike uber-designers Alexander Mc Queen and Anna Sui, whom have created limited release collections for Target stores, BCBG is not sold at a completely–out of reach for regular people price point, and frankly BCBG is not at the design echelon that would make company invincible to negative mass-market associations. Working with Walmart not only solidifies BCBG squarely into the mall-standard set, but it gives the impression that the company is trending down market. And let’s face it, even with the idea of recessionista chic spreading all over the US, no fashion company wants to reinvent it’s image as ‘cheap’. Consumers want BCBG on sale, not cheap BCBG.

To make matters worse, the collaboration with ‘tween star Miley Cyrus, further erodes the brand’s image. Working with Miley instantly casts a “celebrity line” image on the company. What’s next BCBGENERATIONS and The Olsen twin’s shoe line? How about a Lindsay Lohan handbag?

All and all I can’t see the Walmart collection not hurting the BCBG label. As popular as ‘affordable’ items are during these tough times, the association with the big-box (and somewhat infamous for bad business practices) retailer is sure to turn off the pre-existing customer, and I can’t imagine Miley’s popularity will do much to offset that loss.