The 15 Percent Pledge, led by Brother Vellies founder Aurora James, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary of bringing change to the fashion industry by asking retailers to commit to buying from Black businesses and increasing company-wide diversity. Nordstrom is the latest brand to join the initiative, following in the footsteps of others such as Madewell, Sephora, J.Crew, MatchesFashion, Old Navy, and Moda Operandi. But it is the first to sign a 10-year agreement with the nonprofit organization, with an aim to grow total purchases and partnerships with Black brands tenfold by 2030.
“We are excited to announce our commitment to the Fifteen Percent Pledge,” said Pete Nordstrom, chief brand officer and president of Nordstrom, Inc. “Over the next 10 years Nordstrom will grow purchases from brands owned or founded by Black individuals by 10x by the end of 2030. Long-term societal change cannot happen overnight. We are excited to partner with the Pledge on this commitment to economic equity and sustainable growth as we work to increase the number of Black-owned and founded companies we partner with throughout our business.”
The 15 Percent Pledge is working closely with Nordstrom to implement new strategies internally, as well as setting benchmarks to become an inclusive and antiracist corporation. “When we first launched the Fifteen Percent Pledge, our focus was on encouraging retailers to commit to a minimum of 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses,” James stated in a press release. “While this is still our ultimate goal, we know that progress won’t be possible without growing the pipeline of Black-owned businesses. We applaud Nordstrom for the work they’re doing to create financial opportunities for the Black community.”
“We’re confident the work we are doing will have a real impact on our ability to increase the number of Black-owned companies we do business with and will create meaningful opportunities for Black businesses and communities,” said Teri Bariquit, Nordstrom’s chief merchandising officer. “This work is critical to our ability to serve customers and deliver the products and experiences we know they expect when they shop with us.”
In their press release, the company stated, “this commitment is just one of many steps we are taking to address diversity, inclusion and belonging at Nordstrom. To learn more about our goals and broader efforts, please see here, or visit our Diversity page on Nordstrom.com.”
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