On the surface, this most recent celeb collaboration makes even less sense than Mary Kate and Ashley for J.C. Penney: has Madonna ever even stepped foot in a Macy’s?

Apparently that makes no difference: Madge released a statement yesterday revealing a joint venture with a group of licensees called Iconix to produce multiple fashion-related projects for Macy’s. Up first is a juniors’ line appropriately called Material Girl, which will include clothing, bags, shoes, and jewelry aimed at tweens with prices ranging from $12 to $40. Lourdes, Madonna’s 13-year old daughter, will serve as the muse for the line (it pays to have a famous mom!) and has already gotten involved in the design process. The collection will hit stores and macys.com in August, just in time for back-to-school.

The business deal includes permission to use Madonna’s name on a whole slew of collaborations, meaning the pop-star is looking beyond junior’s fashion to build an entire lifestyle brand. As Neil Cole, Iconix CEO, stated, “Madonna has been building brands for other companies for a long time. Now, it’s time for her to build her own brand.” That means other projects to follow, such as eyeware, as well as possibly using Madonna’s name to promote other Iconix brands like Ed Hardy (God help us) or dancewear brand Danskin.

Given Madonna’s monumental icon status within American culture, it is utterly unsurprising that she’s the latest star to market her identity as a lifestyle. But the choice of a teen-aimed clothing line is intriguing seeing as Madonna’s longtime celebrity is rooted in the 1980s and 1990s. The Madonna name holds more sway among fans now in their twenties and up– will 13-year old consumers even pick up the collection’s reference to “Material Girl” when the song debuted in 1984?

More importantly, what exactly does Madonna envision 13-year olds wearing? We’re guessing Jean Paul Gaultier-inspired cone bras in size 32 AA, leather thigh-high boots in size 13 kids, and cutesy tank tops cut to reveal perfectly toned biceps. Sounds like good back-to-school wear to us, no?