Missoni is a hot Italian designer. Target is a discount retailer. The combination proved powerful on Tuesday, as the much-hyped Missoni for Target Collection launched, crashing the company's Web site and selling out merchandise from most stores.

But despite a few fits and starts, on Wednesday morning target.com was working again, and the company had many Missoni for Target items in stock for customers to buy --but the items were selling out fast, though some things like girls clothing and accessories, furniture and bikes were available for purchase.

For instance, a Missoni for Target Trapunto Stitched Push Up Balconette Bra was available online for $19.99, but the product isn't sold in stores.

Searches of Missoni for Target items in stores revealed slim stock, as stores hurry to replenish shelves that were ransacked by eager customers and professional shoppers hoping to turn the product for a quick resale at a higher price through services like eBay.

Target has been working with Italian luxury knitwear designer Missoni for a year to create and launch a line of 400 items unique to the national retailer. Missoni is known for colorful zig-zag stripes on items including knit dresses, tights, sweaters, rain boots, luggage, dinner ware, iPad and iPod covers and even furniture.

Demand was so high on the first day of the Missoni for Target launch that Target's Web site periodically went down.

Visitors to Target's Internet site earlier Wednesday morning were greeted with a picture of the company's trademark Target dog and the following words: Woof! We are suddenly extremely popular. You may not be able to access our site momentarily due to unusually high traffic. Please stay here and we'll try to get to you in as soon as we can! We're up and running here.

The Minneapolis-based retailer apologized to customers for the issue through Tweet updates on its Twitter account.

We understand your frustrations, Target tweeted just before noon EDT on Tuesday. We've reached out to the appropriate teams and they're working quickly to get it fixed.

At one point Tuesday morning, Target's site was back up, but by noon the main site was down again, and online customers were being routed through other online portals for shopping and online purchases. By Wednesday at 9 a.m. EDT, Target's site was working and many products, like the Missoni Women's Comfort Bike for $399 were available online.

Shoppers so aggressively swarmed Target on Tuesday for its much-anticipated Missoni collection that shelves loaded with products quickly became empty.

Target employees have said more shipments are on the way to stores over the next few days to replenish stock that sold out almost immediately to within hours at stores, while also crashing Target's main Web site.

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