Nordstrom debuts New Concepts shop to men’s fashions, inspiration

The retail world has long seemed to favour womenswear. While options abound for women’s clothing and accessories, the landscape has often seemed comparatively small for men’s shopping options.

“I think that is still largely true, although menswear is enjoying a bit more notoriety and attention these days,” Chris Gibbs, the co-owner of the Los Angeles-based streetwear boutique Union, explains. “I think this is because, historically, it was a bit of a taboo for men to express themselves though fashion outside of a suit or jeans and white T-shirt.”

The focus has shifted slightly in recent years, with more brands and companies (beyond the suiting realm, of course) courting more male shoppers, but the imbalance still remains very much intact. But, change is definitely underfoot.

“Now those social taboos largely don’t exist and there is a whole industry built around new men’s fashion,” Gibbs says of the shift. According to Gibbs, the shift has largely been pushed along by the evolution and influence of men’s fashion categories, such as streetwear, which has boomed in the recent decade thanks to pop culture references and social media sharing.

“From my point of view, the main change is the residue of an industry, in particular the streetwear industry, which has finally become fully mature,” Gibbs explains. “Now that streetwear is here and fully developed, there are an overwhelming amount of options. Back in the day there were only a handful of good brands … now there is a mix of incredible product in the marketplace.”

That popularity has led to an increase in the number of brands offering styles. And with that increase, Gibbs says, has come a sense of confusion for some shoppers.

“With so many options, we’ve found the customer can get a bit overwhelmed, so the solution has been for brands to really focus on ‘their story’ and the customer is really into that,” Gibbs says. “So, now the story and provenance of the brand is what gets most of the attention and is what most people are buying into as opposed to the actual design. It’s interesting to see this develop and I’m curious to see where we go next.”

Putting that purchasing theory to the test, as well offering shoppers an edited selection of pieces that will allow them to shop for new styles that speak to their own unique personal fashion sense, Nordstrom has introduced a New Concepts shop dedicated to men’s fashions.

“New Concepts is our platform to tell the stories of some of the newest, most interesting and compelling brands and products from within the menswear industry,” Sam Lobban, the vice-president of men’s fashion at Nordstrom, explains. “Through unique product curation, immersive in-store pop-ups and digital website experience we hope to show our customers some of the coolest ideas from around the world.”

Offering a selection of pieces (170 exclusive items, to be exact) hand-picked by Gibbs and Lobban from 13 brands at prices ranging from $55 to $1,683, the space is meant to be as much about shopping as it is about offering a source of discovery and inspiration.

“Chris and I have known each other for a while, and I’ve always been a huge fan of both the Union store and the brand and product selection, as well as Chris’s vibe and take on what’s happening in the industry,” Lobban says. “Working with Chris gives us a great opportunity to give Nordstrom customers something new and exciting, while giving more people the opportunity to learn about the Union business.

The items on offer within the shop-in-shop, is expected to change regularly in order to keep the shopping option fresh.

“The New Concepts team is constantly scouring the market for interesting ideas, people who are doing cool stuff, across brands, products, other retailers, media; anywhere really,” Lobban says.

“People can expect to find what we always strive to create: a colourful, highly curated mix of new designers who are the future of menswear,” Gibbs adds.

For Gibbs, the opportunity to partner with the Seattle-based retailer allowed his company to work with unique brands they hadn’t had access to before.

“As an independent store, it’s rare that we get to work with such big teams and projects,” Gibbs explains. “The many locations and bigger reach has enabled us to do a full capsule collection with Marni, which would not have been possible without a big partner.

“This partnership opportunity has really allowed us to think freely and put together a rather aggressive and robust offering. We are quite excited about this.”

The exclusive collection will be available at select Nordstrom locations including New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles and more through Sept. 1. Nordstrom Pacific Centre in Vancouver will be the only Canadian location to carry the range.

Source: Vancouversun.com

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