Nordstrom Inks 10-Year Partnership With Aurora James' 15 Percent Pledge

Nordstrom has signed onto a 10-year partnership with the 15 Percent Pledge, an initiative launched by designer Aurora James that urges retailers to stock more Black-owned brands. As part of the agreement, Nordstrom committed to increasing its spending on Black-owned businesses by tenfold.

Nordstrom will also follow the Pledge's foundational requirements: the retailer will take stock of its current percentage of shelf-space given to Black-owned brands, publish these findings internally and externally and develop a plan for dedicating at least 15 percent of its purchasing power to Black-owned businesses.

Nordstrom joins a substantial roster of Pledge signatories including Sephora, Kith and Vogue. James, the founder and creative director of Brooklyn-based footwear and accessories brand Brother Vellies, formed the non-profit last summer, shortly after the murder of George Floyd.

"Ideally, the Pledge...becomes so successful that it ages itself out of relevance and we get to a point where people [think], 'Wait, that used to be a thing?'" James told Business of Fashion. "We’ve had to kind of realize that every single company is guilty, but ultimately it’s the system that we have all created together that is to blame," she said.

Head to Aurora James's official Instagram to learn more about Nordstrom's partnership with the 15 Percent Pledge.

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