Nordstrom Space to Offer Dover Street Market Incubator Brands
Retailers don’t generally collaborate with other retailers, but a partnership between Nordstrom and Dover Street Market Paris is breaking that mold.
On Monday, Nordstrom said beginning today, Nordstrom Space will feature the spring collections of seven brands under the Brand Development incubator program of DSMP in select Nordstrom stores and online. Nordstrom Space is the merchant’s in-store and online boutique devoted to advanced and emerging designers.
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The brands run the gamut from men’s, women’s and gender-neutral apparel and accessories and include Vaquera, Rassvet, Weinsanto, ERL, Liberal Youth Ministry, HFD and Youths in Balaclava. Prices will begin at $30, running to up to $1,645.
This is the first time DSMP has partnered with another retailer for a shop-in-shop experience. For the next six weeks, the brands will be featured in dedicated Space concept shops designed by artist and furniture designer, Marc Hundley in New York City, Los Angeles and Vancouver, as well as online. In addition, Hundley and the Nordstrom Space team have created a physical and digital Zine to introduce the collaboration and brands to customers that will also feature editorial content.
“We started Space five years ago as a platform to support emerging designers, provide continued newness, and inspire a sense of discovery for the Nordstrom customer,” said Olivia Kim, vice president of creative projects and home at Nordstrom. “We have a long-standing relationship with the Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market team, and when we heard that they had created a division to support emerging designers, we knew we had to approach them about this concept as it aligns so closely with our mission. With the help of artist and designer Marc Hundley, we are excited to bring this partnership to life by introducing these unique brands through a compelling visual story telling experience both in-store and online.”
James Gilchrist, vice president of Comme des Garçons North America and Dover Street Market North America, said, “We are thrilled to once again be working with our long-term partners Olivia Kim and the team at Nordstrom on the launch of all seven DSMP brands in their Space. It is so exciting to have these seven wonderfully creative and diverse talents introduced to the world of Nordstrom.”
Vaquera, which means “cowgirl” in Spanish, is a New York-based design collective comprised of Patric DiCaprio, Claire Sullivan and Bryn Taubensee that seeks to unite and empower people who identify as outsiders. Rassvet was created by Gosha Rubchinskiy and pro skater Tolia Titaev and offers retro-futuristic designs inspired by the streets of Russia, 1980s gyms and West Coast skate influences.
Weinsanto, created by Paris-based designer Victor Weinsanto, also offers a distinct take on retro-futuristic as well as cabaret themes. ERL by Eli Russell Linnetz is a unisex, casual brand based on the Americana spirit of Venice Beach. Liberal Youth Ministry is a Guadalajara-based brand designed by Antonio Zaragoza that reinterprets ’80s and ’90s pop culture; HFD is a Berlin-based, American-born label that celebrates the interconnection of music, art, fashion and sex, and Youths in Balaclava, is a Singapore-based collective whose work revolts against political inequality.
In the past, Space has offered apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories from designers including Comme des Garçons, Jacquemus, Marine Serre, Simone Rocha, Cecilie Bahnsen, Meryll Rogge, Wales Bonner, Chopova Lowena and others.
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