Nordstrom Honors AAPI Heritage Month Through Donations and Brand Spotlights
Nordstrom is honoring the Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community this month with a new campaign, designer spotlight, and two donations.
Throughout the month of May, Nordstrom is highlighting a range of AAPI-owned and -founded brands including menswear label IISE, Mohala Eyewear, and nail care company Basecoat on Nordstrom.com and through its social media channels.
According to Nordstrom’s chief legal officer Ann Munson Steines, this brand spotlight is part of the Seattle-based retailer’s commitment to delivering $500 million in retail sales from brands owned, operated, or designed by Black, Hispanic and Latino individuals by 2025. “In 2021, we sold more than $177 million worth of these minority-owned brands,” Steines told FN. “We also signed the 15 Percent Pledge this year, announcing a continued commitment to growing our purchases from businesses owned or founded by Black individuals by 10x by the end of 2030.”
What’s more, Nordstrom will continue its corporate commitment to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), an organization committed to protecting and promoting the civil rights of Asian Americans, with a donation of $25,000. By combining litigation, advocacy, education and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all. Plus, Nordstrom is inviting its customers to add $1 or $5 to their Nordstrom.com order this month that will be donated to AALDEF.
“We also have donated $25,000 to Gold House in honor of AAPI Heritage Month,” added Steines. “Gold House is the leading AAPI changemaker community fighting together for socioeconomic equity. These grants align with our strategy of partnering with national nonprofits focused on supporting anti-racism and underrepresented or marginalized communities.”
Additionally, Steines said that Nordstrom’s employee resource group AsPIRE (Asian Pacific-Islander Resources for Employees) is hosting events including a Lei Day presentation, a celebration of Eid in partnership with our Black Employee Network, and a conversation about advocating for change, which Steines is set to lead. “I’m looking forward to what I am sure will be an open and engaging conversation with our employees and other AAPI leaders at Nordstrom,” she added.
And for Steines, this slate of programming couldn’t come at a better time. “We acknowledge that hate and violence against the Asian and Pacific Islander community continues to be felt throughout the country and firmly believe diversity makes our company and world better,” Steines told FN. “Because we want to be a company where everyone feels welcome and respected, we’re celebrating AAPI month to create an inclusion and belonging by honoring Asian and Pacific Islander cultures with our employees and spotlight AAPI-led brands.”
