On Tuesday night, Nordstrom hosted a cocktail party at its New York flagship in celebration of two notable anniversaries: the retailer’s 125th year in business and 20 years of its partnership with the CFDA.
“I haven’t seen this yet,” said Pete Nordstrom as he walked into second-floor restaurant Wolf, where a visual timeline of the store’s history stretched down the walkway leading into the restaurant. The display included notable moments from the retailer’s years in business, starting with cofounder John W. Nordstrom’s arrival in Seattle by way of Sweden.
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“ It’s a little bit of a weird feeling,” said Nordstrom, reflecting on the store’s 125-year milestone. “Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re good. Celebrating that we’re 125 years old is one thing, but really I think it’s more about a moment in time that represents the possibilities of the next chapter. We have good momentum,” he added. “So it feels certainly not like the end, but kind of the beginning of a new opportunity for us.”
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Nordstrom kicked off the evening alongside party cohosts Thom Browne, who showed his newest collection in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl over the weekend, and the CFDA’s Steven Kolb.
“ I just count all the fashion weeks,” said Kolb at the start of the night, making his way down the timeline display and stopping at 2006 — the year he joined the CFDA, and the beginning of the council’s ongoing partnership with Nordstrom.
“ Nordstrom has consistently been a partner and shows up no matter what,” said Kolb, calling out the retailer’s support of various initiatives throughout the years, from the Vogue/Fashion Fund to COVID-19-era initiative Common Thread. “ I don’t think there’s anything we’ve ever asked Nordstrom that they’ve said no to.”
The room soon filled with designers and industry insiders including Sergio Hudson, Joseph Altuzarra, Cynthia Rowley, Christopher John Rogers, Maria Cornejo, Kate Barton, Henry Zankov, Jennifer Fisher, Stacey Bendet, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell. The Tanner Fletcher designers were dressed in coordinating J.Crew rollneck sweaters, which they designed as part of a J.Crew collaboration. (They were en route to the launch party later in the evening.) Others were enjoying a convivial moment as they gear up for their respective shows and presentations in the days ahead.
“ There is so much that we are currently dealing with in the industry. If you take a minute and you think about immigration, inflation, geopolitical conflict, you know, there’s a heavy burden on shoulders,” Kolb said. “I think there’s such resilience in the industry and fashion week. So I’m just looking forward to people showing up, and really just countering the darkness and shining with creativity.”