What: To celebrate 125 years in business, Bergdorf Goodman has partnered with over 100 designers on more than 850 exclusive styles, alongside anniversary windows, exhibits and a new Assouline book chronicling its history.

Why it is important: The anniversary arrives as parent company Exemplar Luxury Group works to rebuild prestige and vendor relationships after emerging from bankruptcy, making heritage storytelling a tool for restoring confidence.

Bergdorf Goodman's 125th-anniversary celebration began Wednesday night with a store party and continues through the fall season, touching every part of the retailer's business. President Tracy Margolies said the milestone is being brought to life through exclusive products, collaborations and experiences across the store, while senior vice president Linda Fargo credited brand partners' creativity in interpreting the anniversary. Fifth Avenue windows across the women's and men's stores are filled with historical imagery set against Bergdorf's signature lavender, and Assouline has published "Very Bergdorf," with an introduction by Wendy Goodman, alongside filmed interviews with figures including Kate Young, Candice Bergen and Michael Kors.

Designers describe the store as a career-defining platform: Michael Kors recalled selling his first collection to Bergdorf in 1981, Akris's Albert Kriemler cited its 1988 window debut, and Christopher John Rogers and Schiaparelli's Daniel Roseberry credited early support in building their brands. Founded in 1901 and rebuilt on Fifth Avenue in 1928, Bergdorf Goodman has passed through Carter Hawley Hale, the Neiman Marcus Group and, following Saks Global's 2026 bankruptcy, the newly formed Exemplar Luxury Group, which now owns Bergdorf, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

IADS Notes: Bergdorf Goodman's 125th-anniversary programme sits within a broader pattern of milestone celebrations used by department stores to reinforce loyalty and brand identity, as seen when Nordstrom marked its own 125th anniversary with a yearlong series of exclusive brand activations and archival collections (Press Release, February 2026). The timing is notable given Exemplar Luxury Group's ongoing post-bankruptcy recovery, where restoring exclusives, vendor allocations and customer trust across Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman was identified as the central challenge (WWD, September 2026). Bergdorf's reliance on more than 100 brand partnerships and rare collectors' pieces echoes a wider sector shift toward designer curation as a differentiator, illustrated by Printemps' relaunch of its L'Endroit space with nearly 30 brands, 70% exclusive, to counter consumer fatigue with "normalised luxury" (WWD, June 2026). The emphasis on windows, exhibits and in-store storytelling also mirrors how flagship transformation has become a growth lever elsewhere, from Bloomingdale's redesigned 59th Street store, credited with five consecutive quarters of sales growth (WWD, March 2026), to Breuninger's 145th-anniversary partnership with VOGUE Germany, which turned its Stuttgart flagship into an experiential fashion stage with a limited-edition capsule collection (N-News.de, March 2026).

Bergdorf Goodman turns 125 and celebrates