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The Future of Fashion: Nordstrom and Fashion Scholarship Fund Celebrate Partnership

We have long believed in the value diversity brings to Nordstrom and our communities and the need for a more diverse and equitable fashion industry. It’s why we’ve set ambitious marketplace and talent diversity goals and why we look to partner with industry-leading organizations. To reach our goals, we need to invest in improved pathways for fashion, design and retail talent.  

Introducing: The Nordstrom Made Scholarship  

Today, we celebrate our growing partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund with the launch of the Nordstrom Made Scholarship that will help kick start recipients’ careers in fashion. This year’s scholarships were awarded to six sustainability-minded scholars from diverse backgrounds who will each receive:  

  • A $10,000 college scholarship  

  • An all-expense-paid, two-day career awareness experience in New York City, including the organization’s annual gala and a career panel at Nordstrom 

  • Participation in a year-long mentorship program with more than 20 Nordstrom leaders across several functions 

  • Hands-on, immersive experiences with Nordstrom aimed to develop relevant career skills   

“The Nordstrom Made Scholarship launched with the Fashion Scholarship Fund is one of the many ways we aim to improve pathways for historically underrepresented talent into the fashion and retail industry,” said Nina Barjesteh, president of Nordstrom Product Group. “We understand the importance of investing in the next generation of fashion talent and are grateful to play a role in the career journey of these talented scholars.” 

Meet the Scholars and the Fashion Scholarship Fund  

The Fashion Scholarship Fund is the foremost fashion-oriented education and workforce development nonprofit in the U.S. The FSF works directly with the country's most talented young students from diverse backgrounds and awards over $1 million each year in scholarships to help these students succeed in all sectors of the industry including design, merchandising, marketing analytics, and business strategy. The FSF also provides scholars with a wide range of internship and career opportunities, mentorship, networking, professional development, and unprecedented access to the industry's most influential leaders and companies. 

“The FSF is so pleased to announce the inaugural class of FSF x Nordstrom Made Scholars,” shared Peter Arnold, Executive Director, FSF. “We are extremely grateful to Nordstrom for their continued and deepening partnership, and for the incredible support and valuable experience, mentorship, and career opportunities they are providing our Scholars.”  

This year’s Nordstrom Made Scholarship recipients are:  

In 2022, Nordstrom first partnered with FSF as part of Concept 018: Virgil Abloh Securities with a scholarship donations and mentorship opportunities for four students who were part of the Fashion Scholarship Fund Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund. This fund aims to foster of equity and inclusion in the fashion industry by providing scholarships to students of academic promise of Black, African-American or African descent.  

Celebrating the Next Generation of Fashion Leadership  

As part of the students’ annual two-day trip to New York City for career exploration and FSF Live, Nordstrom invited all of 127 FSF scholars to the Nordstrom NYC Flagship for lunch, a store tour and a panel on careers in fashion and retail featuring Nordstrom Men’s Fashion Director Jian DeLeon, Women’s Fashion Director Rickie De Sole, and Vice President of Corporate Affairs Gigi Ganatra Duff.  

panel

In advance of FSF Live 2023, the 86th annual awards gala, Nordstrom hosted all six scholars at their local Nordstrom store for a styling experience and provided a head-to-toe look for the gala.  

This partnership is the latest in our efforts to drive meaningful change toward a more diverse and equitable industry. Over the past year, Nordstrom announced a partnership with Harlem’s Fashion Row and their non-profit ICON360, a product management coursework and mentorship program at Morehouse College and the continuation of our partnership with the National Retail Federation’s Student Program.