What: Bringing relevance, soul and a sharper focus to its private labels, executive vice president Jen Jackson Brown gives a progress report on the program.

Why it is important: Having reduced the number of its private labels from 40 to 12, Nordstrom intends to grow this part of the business thanks to brands appealing to different lifestyles, age groups, communities and body shapes, and including ambitious sustainable goals.

NPG, which covers apparel and accessories for men, women and kids and home goods, calls its private brand portfolio “Nordstrom Made.” NPG has a team of about 350 people in merchandising, design, development and sourcing, and works with manufacturers in 25 countries.

Designed for young adults starting their career, Open Edit, available in men’s, women’s, kids, accessories and jewelry, has been the number-one brand launch. Nordstrom has been evolving its Halogen brand, targeting Millennials with “day-to-night essentials” with greater comfort and versatility in light of changing lifestyles and work situations.

The Nordstrom label, Nordstrom Made’s largest brand seen in home, kids, layette, men’s and accessories, is poised for further growth and reflects “timeless classic yet fashion” from different labels.

Other top Nordstrom-owned brands include Zella activewear, which was introduced in 2007 before the athleticwear boom. It’s offered in women’s, men’s and kids. There’s also BP for young adults, and Treasure & Bond which donates 2.5% of net sales to charity.<

“Probably a year and half ago, we said every single brand we have is going to have extended sizes. That was a bold move,” said Brown. “We hired people to help us understand fit for different types of body shapes.” BP + Wildfang (introduced last spring) has an inclusive approach, and challenges stereotypes and gender norms.

Henna and Hijabs x Nordstrom, geared for the modern Muslim woman, is another recent launch reaching different audiences.

This month, Nordstrom will launch Nordstrom x Christina Martinez to celebrate Latinx Heritage month and reach a largely underserved customer. Martinez is a Mexican American artist known for beautiful art prints which Nordstrom has adapted for apparel and home products.

Brown cited Nordstrom Made goals for 2025, among them that 50% of the products come from sustainably sourced raw materials and ensuring that 15% of the assortment qualifies for Nordstrom’s “sustainable style” program. The company is also shooting for 90% of its products to be factory traceable by 2025 and is on track to achieve that goal ahead of schedule. In 2020, 64% of Nordstrom Made product volume was produced in factories using the Higg Index Facility Environmental Module and it’s expected that it will reach 100% in 2021.

Bringing Relevance, Soul and a Sharper Focus to Private Brands