Get A First Look At Target's New Global Design Collection

19 Apr

April 19, 2017

The mega-retailer tapped Accompany to bring you handcrafted goods from the world’s best markets

As summer weather slowly starts to reveal itself, dreams of skipping around the world, exploring new places start to boil. And while taking in new sights and smells and tastes is exciting, one of the most appealing things about travel for a design lover is shopping. Not at the local mall, of course, but spending hours in the vast markets filled with pieces unique to that destination, that are handmade in indigenous techniques, and that you certainly wouldn't come across in your hometown. But just because those dreams of heading halfway around the world might not be in the books this summer, doesn’t mean you can’t decorate your home with a few souvenirs. Target is bringing the world's best markets to you with its new global collection of home and style products from all those places you wanted to visit this summer, from India to Africa to the South of France.

In addition to the offering of global style within its own brands, Target is partnering with Accompany, an online curator of handcrafted products from different cultures. The “Accompany Us to Target” collection of handcrafted goods includes jewelry from Kenya, accessories from Turkey and Ecuador, and home products from India and Guatemala. To drive home the feeling of being a million miles away, select Target stores carrying the Accompany Us collection will even be laid out like the world's best markets and bazaars.

While the Target design team has always pulled inspiration from cultures around the world, the emphasis on global style this season is in response to research done by their engineers, researchers, and anthropologists that the Target customer craves an authentic connection to the global community. “We have access to incredible handicrafts and the indigenous materials they are made from,” says Julie Guggemos, senior vice president of product design and development at Target. “And knowing our guests value that connection, we thought it would be great to really bring it to life and provide that access to our guests.”