Nate Berkus has announced he has
partnered with Target as the exclusive distributor of his new line of
home products.
In a video promoting the upcoming line,
Berkus talks about his new collection.
“I'm Nate Berkus and I'm announcing
tonight, for the very first time, after a year-and-a-half of very
hard work, my new partnership with Target and I am very excited about
it.”
“I have a brand new collection that's
launching at Target in October.”
Berkus goes on to describe his
collection as “jewelry for the home” inspired by “everything
that I've always loved.” (The video is embedded in the right panel
of this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Berkus, who is openly gay and whose
daytime talk show, The Nate Berkus Show, was
recently canceled after two seasons, could be courting
controversy.
Target has previously infuriated gay
rights supporters.
In 2010, Target became the
target of a boycott over its $150,000 contribution to MN Forward,
an independent political fund that supported Tom Emmer's
gubernatorial bid. Emmer objects to gay rights and has been linked
to tea party backer Bradlee Dean, a strong opponent of gay rights.
The incident prompted pop singer Lady
Gaga to walk away from an exclusive deal with the retail giant.
Lady Gaga, an avid supporter of gay
rights, told Billboard magazine that the decision “hinged”
on Target making “amends for the mistakes they've made in the
past.”
“Our relationship is hinged upon
their reform in the company to support the gay community and to
redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [anti-gay] groups,”
she said.
Shortly after Lady Gaga ended her deal,
Target
sued Canvass For A Cause (CFAC), a San Diego-based progressive
group that supports gay marriage. The retailer alleged that CFAC's
discussions with its customers outside its stores were disruptive and
driving away customers. Target
lost the lawsuit.