The Nordy Pod

Real growth for a brand doesn't just come out of nowhere. Even with a high-quality product that's both functional and inherently desirable, you can still find yourself under the radar and small after decades in the market. So how did a 100-year-old+ sneaker company like New Balance suddenly pierce through the noise and become one of the most relevant and talked-about athletic footwear brands today...

Every spring, on the first Monday in May, an incredible transformation takes place on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The streets overflow with cars and people. A staircase becomes a red carpet. And a museum becomes a full-on party, filled with a select few of the biggest names in pop culture and the fashion industry. Spectators all around the world stop for this one moment all asking the very same...

In the retail world, we often throw around the term "disruptor" when we’re talking about a promising new brand that breaks through the busy marketplace and challenges the status quo; or even leads the charge in a broader cultural movement. But in some cases, that story isn't about something new at all, but something enduring. Something that's been there all along, waiting for the world to catch up...

There's an interesting moment that happens nowadays. You're on your phone, you're scrolling through reels of cat videos and your cousin's baby's first birthday cake smash and then… there it is. A person you've never met, standing in perfect golden-hour light, wearing an outfit that makes you stop and think, "Hey, maybe I could pull that off." Then, before you even realize you're shopping, you've c...

Brands come and go. Trends rise and fall. Customer taste changes. There are a million different variables involved in the success of any one brand, and very few actually stand the test of time. But every once in a while, amid the chaos of the fashion and retail marketplace, something sticks. But how does that happen? Is there a formula? What are the essential pillars, the stepping stones that guar...

A piece of jewelry isn't just an accessory, it's a marker in time, a monument to the most important moments in our lives: an anniversary, a graduation, a birthday, a bachelorette party. So, what does it take to build a brand that people don't just buy from, but that they connect with? The kind of brand that brings people together. Today we'll explore the answer to that question and more with our g...

Join Pete as he rides around the streets of Milan in a van with the Vice President of the Nordstrom fashion office, Rickie De Sole, Executive Vice President, General Merchandise Manager for Apparel and Designer, Sam Lobban, Senior Vice President of Designer and Brand Partnerships, Brian Roberts, and Pete’s cousin and Chief Merchandising Officer, Jamie Nordstrom. Get the ground-level experience of...

Wait a minute—Nordstrom? The high-end fashion department store that sells apparel and accessories from brands like Gucci and Prada and Louis Vuitton? They sell baby gear?! The answer is yes—and on top of making you feel great about the comfort and safety of your newborn baby, we're going to make sure you look good too. Listen in as Pete talks with Brad Bickley, global president of the luxury baby...

The wildfires in Southern California have devastated communities. Nordstrom has been proud to serve the Los Angeles region for decades and we believe we have a responsibility to support our people, our customers and our community as they recover from this tragedy. In this episode, we're going to explore our company's values and the important work our team is doing to help a community in need. Our...

In this episode we're going to be giving you a front row seat at Retail’s Big Show, which is an annual conference held in New York City hosted by the National Retail Federation, or NRF. This gathering of around 40,000 retail industry professionals, vendors and leaders is one of the largest events of its kind in the world and creates space for like-minded businessmen and women to network, share ide...

As has become tradition on The Nordy Pod, for the first episode of the new year we're taking a pause to reflect on some of the most memorable moments from 2024. We've been doing The Nordy Pod for three years now and we've covered a lot of ground, from conversations with business leaders, to Nordstrom employees and customers, to athletes, film & TV stars, and even a handful of rockstars. If you're...

Fellow music lovers, you're in for a treat, because for this episode we're diving head first into a full-on rock concert of epic proportions. Join us for the 13th annual SMooCH benefit show at the Showbox in Seattle, where our community, this year alone, has raised over $2.2 million for Uncompensated Care at Seattle Children's Hospital. We've mentioned SMooCH before on The Nordy Pod way back in ep...

You ever wonder what happened to people wearing suits in the office? It seems like not that long ago when looking professional meant, at the very least, a well-ironed dress shirt and a nice pair of slacks—better make sure you're wearing a tie too. Nowadays let's just say attitudes have changed, for better or worse, about what's appropriate to wear in the workplace, and really for all occasions. In...

Founded in Los Angeles in 2002 by Rea Laccone and Christopher LaPolice, contemporary clothing brand Vince has proven its resilience in an unpredictable retail landscape for over twenty years by creating modern yet timeless pieces that focus on distinctive style and uncompromising quality. Using only the finest fabrics with obsessive attention to design, the label curates head-to-toe outfitting for...

Have you ever bought a pair of pants online and shipped it to your home, braving the wild west of porch pirates and unpredictable weather at your doorstep, only to try them on and discover that you've ordered the wrong size? Meet Nordstrom Local, our relatively new and very promising small-format store concept which brings online orders to a convenient location with fast and easy pickup, returns a...

What does it take to create a shopping experience that captivates customers around the globe? To answer that question, we're diving deep into the minds of two extraordinary leaders in the retail industry. The CEO of Le Bon Marché in Paris, Patrice Wagner, and Chairman and CEO of the Selfridges Group in London, André Maeder. Both of these guys began their careers in retail working on the shop floor...

Best known for co-creating and starring in the HBO series Insecure, Issa has attracted a significant amount of Hollywood spotlight largely by showcasing her own personal experiences and emotions on screen for all to see. Literally starting from scratch in 2011 as the singular brainchild of a homegrown, Kickstarter-funded YouTube series called Awkward Black Girl, she's come quite a long way to beco...

If you're not particularly familiar with how the fashion cycle happens throughout the year, there are really two major seasons: one in the fall and one in the spring. And during this time all of the prominent fashion designers and fashion brands dump quite a bit of money into some pretty extravagant runway shows to present highly exclusive audiences with their latest merchandise. And though there...

In this episode we're talking all about something that you've likely heard us reference on The Nordy Pod, but we've yet to really dig too deep into, and that's the Nordstrom Product Group (NPG). This is a collection of private brands owned by Nordstrom aimed at building a more well-rounded offering for our customers. To help us better understand what that's all about we'll hear from a couple of re...

This one-of-a-kind sister-in-law duo exploded onto the fashion scene in 2010, quickly attracting industry and celebrity attention with a simple but revolutionary product, the Dickey jacket. Their interchangeable assortment of vests and jackets allow on-the-go women ultimate customization with great style and an amazing fit. Though the Dickey jacket is their signature piece, their brand has expande...

Raised in the New York City garment industry, Andrew Rosen learned the tools of the trade from his father, Carl Rosen, the second-generation head of the family-founded business Puritan Fashions Corporation. After his father's untimely death, Andrew became CEO of Puritan at the budding young age of 25. His title changed following the acquisition of Puritan by a well-known, rising star fashion desig...

It may come as a surprise to some people, but the best-selling author of The Nordstrom Way book series is not actually a Nordstrom family member, or an employee, nor has he ever been contracted by us in any way to write these books. Our guest today, Robert Spector, has forged a relationship with our family and company purely out of his own curiosity and interest in exploring successful business pr...

In this episode I'm chatting with the super talented and extremely accomplished fashion journalist Lauren Sherman. Through her experience writing for publications like Forbes, Fashionista, The Business of Fashion and now Puck, Lauren has cultivated an audience, which I'm a part of, that really appreciates her candor and point of view on the fashion industry. Her interest and taste in fashion itsel...

In this very special edition of The Nordy Pod we’ll be paying tribute to our former president and a third-generation member of the Nordstrom family, Mr. Bruce Nordstrom. Mr. Bruce passed away earlier this year, and in the time since our family has been flooded with love, support and fond memories from so many people that knew him well. We look back with pride at the massive impact he's made, both...

In this long-overdue episode we’re shining the spotlight on a huge and vitally important part of our business. The ever-expanding #1 growth vehicle for Nordstrom, the Rack. To give us a little context on the origins of the Rack, I called up retired Nordstrom veteran Sue Tabor who was actually present in those early days and who’s largely responsible for laying the foundation for what it’s become....