• by Sarah Mahoney , February 15, 2022

 

 Image above from Chen Burkett's Instagram account.

Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Abercrombie & Fitch are all approaching Black History Month differently this year, hoping to connect shoppers of all stripes with up-and-coming Black designers.

Nordstrom is going the pop-up route, putting Black-Owned Brooklyn center stage in its New York City flagship. The digital publication focuses on Brooklyn-based businesses, and the in-store marketplace features eight of those enterprises.

They include brands like Chen Burkett New York, a lifestyle collection based on travel, color and clothing; Heavy Metals NYC, an accessories brand; Breukelen Polished, a luxury nail lacquer; Savant Studios, which includes clothing and handbags; and Sarep + Rose, a lifestyle brand focused on goods made in Africa.

Shoppers can also sip on Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel, an aged hibiscus-spiced beverage, or nibble on Askanya Chocolates, sourced with Haitian cacao and cane sugar.

While Nordstrom is an old hand at pop-ups, sometimes using them to introduce customers to brands it eventually partners with permanently, this is the first time Black-Owned Brooklyn is curating this type of marketplace under its own new brand, Jummy's Picks by Black-Owned Brooklyn.

Nordstrom's "pop-up market is an incredible opportunity for these businesses to showcase their talents to a new audience," says Cynthia Gordy Giwa, Black-Owned Brooklyn co-creator, in its announcement.

Neiman Marcus is teaming up with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supporting the Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund, created by the late fashion designer in 2020. It's also scheduling in-store activations, including 14 locations celebrating Abloh's design legacy.

The Dallas-based retailer's philanthropic arm has supported fashion scholarships for several years, and this year, it says it's kicking off a three-month-long point-of-sale fundraising campaign in all 37 stores. It says it plans to direct proceeds to both the Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship and a new scholarship to support diverse youth who study sustainable and ethical fashion.

Abercrombie & Fitch is tapping the design talents of its associates, introducing a new "For Justice" capsule collection with apparel for adults and kids. Proceeds from the line, anticipated to be $250,000, will go to the Steve Fund, a nonprofit promoting the mental and emotional health of young people of color.

This marks the third installment of an effort aimed at "amplifying Black voices throughout Black History Month and beyond," the New London, Ohio-based retailer says in its release. The first launched last February and addressed the need for racial equity. The second rolled out in June, highlighting moments of Black joy.