The appointment marks a homecoming for Mizrahi, who first partnered with the retailer in 2003
Target has appointed Isaac Mizrahi as its first-ever creative director at large, the company announced Monday, signaling a renewed push to restore the retailer’s cultural standing amid a prolonged sales slump.
Mizrahi will work alongside Gena Fox, Target’s senior vice president of design, advising the retailer’s internal team on design direction and leading brand storytelling, partnerships, and community engagement efforts aimed at elevating Target’s apparel profile. This summer, the company will also launch an internal mentorship program through which Mizrahi will offer one-on-one sessions, design workshops, and consultations to both emerging talent and established design leaders within Target.
The move is a homecoming of sorts. Mizrahi became Target’s first major fashion design partner in 2003, when the Isaac Mizrahi for Target collection helped position the retailer as an early pioneer of designer collaborations at mass scale, setting it apart from competitors, including Walmart and Kohl’s. That partnership ended in 2008 following his appointment as creative director at Liz Claiborne. Target has since sustained its designer tie-up strategy through collaborations with Sandy Liang, Jason Wu, and Zac Posen, among others.
The appointment arrives as CEO Michael Fiddelke, who took the top position in February, executes a broader turnaround plan to reignite the brand’s cultural relevance. Bringing back Mizrahi connects that recovery effort to one of Target’s most commercially and culturally definitive chapters, suggesting the retailer is looking to its own history as a blueprint for what comes next.