Target kicked off New York Fashion Week with its Spring Beauty Studio at the new Target SoHo concept store, using the event to spotlight its largest ever spring beauty assortment and nearly 3,000 new products from more than 60 brands. The experience brought together celebrity guests, founders, and creators to translate runway beauty trends into accessible, mass-market looks for shoppers.
NYFW kicks off in SoHo
Hosted on February 11, 2026, at 600 Broadway in New York City, the Spring Beauty Studio doubled as an opening statement for Target SoHo, the retailer’s elevated experiential concept in the neighborhood. The space is designed to merge immersive storytelling, edited assortments, and services so guests can explore what’s new and next across beauty, style, and lifestyle.
With this event, Target used NYFW’s spotlight to reinforce its positioning as a destination for trend-forward yet accessible beauty, not just everyday essentials. The SoHo location extends that message beyond a one-off activation through ongoing in-store edits and experiences.
Star guests and expert lineup
The guest list leaned into fashion, beauty, and digital culture, including Jodie Turner-Smith, Rachel Zoe, Ciara Miller, Ming Lee Simmons, Whitney Leavitt, Lana Condor, Kahlana Barfield Brown, Xia Charles, Katie Fang and Ana Zortea. Their presence gave the event a red carpet lens while still centering product discovery and education.
Expert-led beauty sessions featured founders and artists such as Janell Stephens of Camille Rose and Reyna Herrera of Morphe, who walked guests through techniques and how their products enhance texture, glow, and finish. This mix of celebrity visibility and founder authority speaks to how beauty storytelling is evolving at retail.
Inside the Spring Beauty Studio
The Spring Beauty Studio was structured around interactive zones designed for hands-on experimentation. At the Up Your Aura touch-up bar, celebrity makeup artists Billie Gene and Sierra Matthews, stylists Ayumi Perry and Rachel Betancourt, and hair stylists Karen Miller and Ryann Carter offered quick refreshes across hair, skin, and styling details.
Guests could test products in real time while getting tips on pairing makeup with jewelry and overall styling, reflecting how beauty and accessories are increasingly merchandised together. Live demos from brand founders created a workshop-style environment rather than a traditional product showcase.
Trend zones and ongoing edits
A key feature was the Broadway Beauty Bar, a display of newness and hero brands that highlighted buzzy launches across makeup, hair, skin, and fragrance. Curated by rotating beauty experts, this edition led by Janell Stephens, the bar will remain as an in-store edit at Target SoHo, extending the event’s discovery element beyond NYFW.
On the fashion side, a Spring Style Edit hosted by Julee Wilson of Cosmopolitan and Kahlana Barfield Brown, founder and designer of KBB by KAHLANA, spotlighted seasonal trends and introduced a rotating collection that will also live at the SoHo store. This cross-category approach links beauty and apparel trends into a single, shoppable narrative.
Why this matters for Target’s beauty push
With nearly 2,000 stores nationwide and a long-standing value focus, Target is using concept spaces like SoHo and large-scale assortments to strengthen its role in trend-driven beauty. Translating backstage and runway looks into affordable, shelf-ready edits helps the retailer speak both to beauty enthusiasts and everyday guests looking for guidance.
For beauty brands and shoppers, the Spring Beauty Studio is another sign that big-box retailers are leaning into experiential formats and curated storytelling to differentiate in a crowded, discount-heavy market.
