Nordstrom Men To Shine Light on New Concepts by Sam Lobban
Sam Lobban is making his first major mark on the Nordstrom Men store.
On Friday, the vice president of men’s fashion, who joined the retailer in June, will unveil New Concepts, the first in a series of rotating pop-up shops intended to highlight innovative men’s wear.
The first is being called Concept 001:
Out Cold and is centered around what Lobban and the Nordstrom merchandising team believe to be the best products for inclement weather. The shop will have a physical presence on the main floor of the Nordstrom Men store on 57th Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan — replacing the Olivia Kim Merry + Bright holiday shop — as well as in the Seattle flagship.
Among the 20 brands that will be offered are Kjus, Houdini and Aztech Mountain for ski and outdoor apparel; high-tech brands Arc’teryx Veilance and Mackintosh; technical footwear from Hoka One One and Salomon, and outdoor gear from Leatherman and Snow Peak.
The new concept comes as Nordstrom continues to tweak the New York store, the first men’s-only unit in its fleet. While there has been criticism of the store’s configuration and product selection, Nordstrom executives have said they continue to adapt to what they are learning — and see these as useful lessons in advance of the opening of its women’s store across the street this fall.
Lobban, a native of the U.K., started his retail career at Selfridges and was buying manager with Mr Porter, where he was responsible for that company’s Exclusive Capsule Collection model. Although he has worked with the Nordstrom merchant team on smaller projects and is bringing in 11 new brands for spring, this marks the first “big customer-facing moment” for the company, he said.
The idea for Out Cold developed as a way of “solving a problem for guys — how to deal with inclement weather in January in New York in a stylish way,” Lobban said. So the team sought brands that offered not only the “most progressive fabric technology and function,” but in styles that would connect with the urban man. “These brands are as good in New York
City as in Aspen,” he said.
Lobban said Nordstrom has carried about five of the labels in the past, and the rest are new to the store. Prices will run the gamut and will range from $10 for a Snow Peak stainless steel bowl to $1,895 for an Aztech Mountain wool Nuke jacket. The average will range from $350 to $575, he said.
Out Cold will remain in place at the stores for just under four weeks but the merchandise will continue to be carried online through March.
The second iteration will launch in early February and will be called Concept 002: Dior. It will feature Kim Jones’ first collection for the brand for spring 2019 as well as commissioned work by artist KAWS, who reimagined the Dior logo and iconic bee on an assortment of T-shirts, jackets, backpacks and other products. The KAWS bee in pink and black with a white Dior logo will be available on three items that will be exclusive to Nordstrom and Isetan in Japan.
That shop, which will also be installed in New York and Seattle, will mirror Dior’s set from its spring 2019 show.
While the first shop will be in store for a shorter time, most of the New Concepts shops will remain for around two months, Lobban said, and will include a digital interpretation of the pop-up online as well.
It hasn’t been determined yet whether the New Concepts idea will be rolled out to stores other than the New York and Seattle units, he said. “We have a fairly big footprint of stores, so I’m not sure it would be the full fleet, but I do see it rolling out beyond the initial two,” Lobban added.
With his background at Mr Porter, he has spent a long time pondering “what content means in retail” and how to tell a story to customers in “interesting and immersive ways.” He believes retailers today need to offer new ways of storytelling in order to succeed and the New Concepts idea is intended to fit that bill.
Lobban’s appointment last summer was another indication of the company’s enhanced focus on men’s wear. It started last April when Nordstrom opened the 47,000-square-foot, three-level, stand-alone men’s store in the heart of Columbus Circle.
Since that time, the retailer has provided few details on how the store is performing, which is in keeping with its corporate policy.
In its third-quarter earnings call last November, management said, “We’re building on our initial learnings as we focus on expanding our presence in this premier retail market with our flagship women’s store opening planned in fall 2019.” The company said it has been learning about seasonality and the rhythm of the business and has been “pleased with customer feedback.”
When pressed, the company said it was “not in the practice of discussing individual store performance” and pointed to the “strong culture” and service level that it has built.
Although management also declined to discuss which categories were performing best, a spokesperson said “the store’s performance is on par with the top men’s departments across the country. We’re learning a lot about the local New York
City customer [and] feel fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from the men’s store as we open our women’s store next fall, our most ambitious project to date.”
Lobban also was reticent to talk about the store’s performance, saying only: “Overall we’re pleased. New York is a very important market for us and the men’s store is in league with the best men’s stores around the country.”
Observers have been more critical. Former retailer Mark Cohen, now ►
The first in a series of rotating pop-up shops will be Out Cold, a focus on items for inclement weather.