Jason Wu launches new contemporary line

Jason Wu is launching a new contemporary line called

Miss Wu. The range, created in collaboration with US department store Nordstrom, is named after Wu's emblem - a hand-drawn owl - and offers much more than just cheap catwalk copies.

"Instead of just doing 'Jason Wu-for-less,' the idea is to explore the other side of myself," Wu told WWD. "I always see Jason Wu as my aesthetic, my design sensibility. Miss Wu is my personality. It was really fun to explore that facet of who I am - slightly more downtown, and with a more relaxed attitude."

Although Miss Wu was already in the pipeline when the designer created his lower-priced collection for Target earlier this year, he said that his collaboration with the budget retailer showed him that there was, "a demand for Jason Wu at a different price point".

The collection will start with ready-to-wear, followed by the addition of accessories by 2014 - and will be available at Nordstrom.com and in Nordstrom stores for the first year. Expect a domestic and global launch after the one-year exclusive partnership ends.