Nordstrom Announces New Concept ‘Black Space’ & Pop-Up Shop ‘Black Founders’ Honoring Black Fashion

Your favorite American luxury department store chain is spotlighting Black fashion in favor of Black History Month.

On February 9 Nordstrom posted to Instagram announcing the pop-up shop that will stand for a two-month duration. The company stated in their post: “In celebration of Black History Month, we’re excited to debut our latest Center Stage pop-up shop called Black Founders at our Nordstrom NYC flagship!” The shop will run until March 28 and feature “eight Black-owned and –founded companies from across the country spanning beauty, men’s and women’s apparel, footwear and accessories,” informs the Instagram caption.

The company teased the arrival of a new branch of artistry on February 2 by taking to Instagram, but only hinting at what was to come. They shared the idea of a new space curated by five Black creators. American professional tennis player, Venus Williams, commented on the post cheering, “Empowering!” with the fire emoji. Venus and her younger sister, Serena Williams, are included in the all-time greats of women’s tennis.

Nordstrom released all access to the new experience of Black Space on February 12, illuminating its profound establishment via the same social media method. “Black_Space, a platform for designers, creatives and thought leaders across varied perspectives and experiences representing Black Fashion,” exploited the company.

Nordstrom’s website features a section labeled “Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging” where all five founders in relation to the pop-up shop are showcased with links provided to shop each one’s products specifically via Nordstrom.

The founders and their brands include:

Nancy Twine, Briogeo: Haircare for all types of hair textures with high-performance ingredients. The inspiration behind the haircare line was manifested from creations Twine had made in the kitchen with her mother. The website offers a haircare quiz to guide you through your unique product pairing.

Erika Dalya Massaquoi, The Oula Company: Womenswear, beauty, accessories, and even home goods. Inspired by her mother’s ’60s and ’70s fashion sense, trips to Africa, and the Black Is Beautiful movement. The textile-focused fabrics are influenced by Africa, Asia, India, and Latin America, and USA-made.

Elann Zelie, Zelie For She: A plus-size women’s fashion line hailing from Los Angeles, CA honoring self-expression, individuality, and empowerment. With clour schemes of gem-based names such as emerald, pink sapphire, onyx, each piece is enticing and pragmatic.

Sharon Chuter, Uoma Beauty: A beauty brand defying industry norms and breaking the chain of following the leader. UOMA summons you to shine as your one true self. Chuter is also the founder of Pull Up for Change, a motion not taking no for answer when companies fail to employ the Black community.

John Dean, Renowned: Thralling from the proposal of the American Dream, Dean creates menswear stemming from sunny Los Angeles, CA. A redefinition of men’s fashion paving the way for current and future Black entrepreneurs.

Nordstrom announced its five-year plan to promote racial equality back in August 2020. As reported by Forbes, “CEO Erik and president and brand officer Pete Nordstrom…outlined a series of ambitious initiatives the retailer is undertaking to promote racial equality, including bringing more diversity to its workforce and increasing the number of Black and/or Latinx-designed brands and businesses it sells.” After the tragic killing of George Floyd broke loose the tidal wave of protests, the company came under concern to be held accountable. “The Seattle-based retailer in June was called out by the 15 Percent Pledge, launched by Brother Vellies designer Aurora James, which challenged retailers to commit 15% of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses since Blacks make up about 15% of the U.S. population,” states by Forbes.

Forbes also accounts Nordstrom’s racial color wheel: “The retailer said 60% of its employees identify as non-white, and three of its 11 board members are Black. While proud of this progress, Nordstrom set a goal of increasing by 50% the representation of Black and LatinX individuals in people manager roles. To ensure minority candidates have a path to jobs, at least 50% of internship participants will come from under-represented populations.”

The Seattle-birthed company exhibits their view regarding equality on their website saying, “We’ve long believed that we’re all made better by the diversity that exists within our communities. Our values are centered on the notion of creating a place where every customer and employee is welcome, respected, appreciated and able to be themselves.” Nordstrom also took to Twitter to tweet the arrival of their newborn pop-up shop to encourage you to “Shop Black-Owned & Black-Founded Brands.”

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re excited to debut our latest Center Stage pop-up shop called Black Founders at our Nordstrom NYC flagship!​
​
Shop Black-Owned & Black-Founded Brands: https://t.co/9Jp05GffBs pic.twitter.com/PTadSuhXuv

— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) February 9, 2021

You can do your part to help support Black fashion by shopping Nordstrom’s Center Stage pop-up shop, Black Founders, via their Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging page here.