Nordstrom opens NYC store

Pop open the champagne and clear some space in your wardrobe gentleman. Nordstrom has opened their first NYC store for men at 235 W. 57th Street, adjacent to Columbus Circle Mall. On Tuesday, Nordstrom celebrated their store opening with a party that was hosted by Nordstrom executives Pete Nordstrom, Blake Nordstrom, Erik Nordstrom, and Jamie Nordstrom all co-presidents and members of the Nordstrom family, in addition to Nordstrom executives Jeffrey Kalinsky, designer fashion director, and Chris Wanlass, vice president and general manager for Nordstrom NYC.

Notable attendees included Tommy & Dee Hilfiger, Victor Glemaud, Kenneth Cole, Joan Smalls, Gabriel Kane Day Lewis, Eric Rutherford, Ariel & Shimon Ovadia, Brian Atwood, Chad White, Marcus Wainwright, David Neville, and Mark Ruffalo.

The new Nordstrom men's store represents the company's first stand-alone men's store and first full-line store in Manhattan. The three-level 47,000 square foot store offers a differentiated merchandise assortment across all categories, along with a range of convenient services to serve customers on their terms.

Nordstrom opens doors to first NYC flagship

Olivia Kim, Nordstrom vice president of creative projects has curated a special Comme des Garçons (CDG) shop that will feature one of the largest local selections of the fashion house's coveted brands. Olivia commissioned artist Marc Hundley to design a space that invokes both the ethos of CDG and the streets of New York City. In a first for Nordstrom, the men's flagship will also feature designer shops by Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Valentino, and Dior. Each space is united by a chainmail motif, but are distinguished by personalized fixtures adhering to each brand. The shoe department houses a Christian Louboutin shop displaying a wide range of the shoemaker's sporty and formal offerings. The Nike Men's Project, a sportswear and shoe destination for style and fitness-obsessed customers, will offer the brand's latest sneakers and apparel collections.

The store also features an array of customization and personalization experiences, including the Levi's Tailor Shop, where customers can shop Levi's Authorized Vintage, and also design custom embroidery on any item, heat press a shirt or get an express hem while they wait; Shinola will offer watch customization in addition to a selection of tech products; exclusive to the flagship, Samuelson Custom Suit Visualizer is an interactive digital made-to-measure suiting experience; Eton Endless Aisle is a digital touchscreen offering an expanded assortment of dress shirts and ties and cult-favorite Le Labo will create personalized fragrance labels in the grooming department.

To celebrate the Nordstrom opening, brands have created limited-time exclusives, such as Cole Haan NYCH, a curated quarterly collection only available for 30 days, exclusive denim fit and wash options from Rag & Bone, Paige, AG Jeans, Citizens of Humanity, an exclusive camo jacket by Canada Goose and footwear from Timberland and Magnanni.

Customers can shop a comprehensive selection of apparel brands across a broad range of price points, including Adidas, Carhartt WIP, Rodd & Gunn, Stone Island, Death to Tennis, Norse Projects, Lemaire, Moncler, Canali, Topman, Ted Baker London, Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani, Tiger of Sweden and Givenchy. The accessories department houses brands like Foundwell, Ray Ban, Moscot, Mykita, Prada and Loewe. The shoe department will include Reebok, Common Projects, Vans, Alden, Church's, Salvatore Ferragamo, Balenciaga, Gucci and exclusives from Greats and Jack Erwin.

The grooming department will introduce to the U.S., barber-created Murdock London, who will be sending barbers to New York for special appearances. Saturdays NYC will launch product alongside brands like Proraso, Kiehl's, Tom Ford Grooming and exclusive Ted's Grooming Room by Ted Baker London. An extensive fragrance selection will include options from Parfums de Marly, By Killian, Chanel, Valentino, Prada, Armani and Dior.

The Nordstrom Men's Store NYC features the company's newest store design concepts, including an all-glass façade to bring in more natural light, unboxing the display windows, and connecting the shopping experience to the city. An open, flexible floor plan allows for an evolving curation of how products are displayed over time, depending on what New York customers respond to. The store environment will create a sense of discovery, allowing customers to navigate easily and find new brands they haven't experienced before.

In the spirit of philanthropy, Nordstrom will be donating 1 percent of their gift card sales to worthy nonprofits in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

As part of their Men's Store opening and as they continue to expand their presence in the New York they have committed 5 million dollars to NYC over the next three years. To stay true to their Nordstrom Cares mission, they plan to support a number of programs and organizations that care for kids and empower youth, as well as those that have a significant impact on the community. In the coming months, Nordstrom will be forming a NYC Community Advisory Board to attract, vet and award community grants. Their first grant will be to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation's oldest, and largest, organization supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth to reach their full potential.

photos: Naho Kubota