Nordstrom announced an ongoing partnership with Cristina Martinez, a contemporary artist whose work is rooted in telling the stories of Black and Brown people. The first release of the Nordstrom by Cristina Martinez collection launched September 27 in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. The initial collection is designed around three original pieces of artwork created by Cristina; each piece encourages the viewer to stay rooted and keep blooming, said Nordstrom.
“Nordstrom has a role and responsibility to amplify the voices and works of artists like Cristina Martinez, and we are excited to collaborate with her to introduce the Nordstrom by Cristina Martinez collection,” said Jen Jackson Brown, EVP and president of Nordstrom Product Group, Young Adult and Kids, Nordstrom, Inc. “The assortment features unique pieces that celebrate Cristina’s heritage and bring to life the incredible art she has created.”
Cristina worked alongside the Nordstrom Made design team to imagine elements of her original artwork on a selection of limited-edition product across women’s, men’s, gender-inclusive, kids, baby and home. The collection represents the importance of capturing people’s beauty and paying attention to the everyday stories and resiliency within oneself, said Nordstrom. The collection embodies Cristina’s background through color, texture, shape and design, and is available from $19-$129 in the U.S. and $20-$149 in Canada. The partnership will continue with additional releases through 2022.
“This partnership has been over a year in the making,” said Cristina Martinez. “It was an opportunity to create artwork that not only hangs on walls, but on our bodies. It was a chance for me to revisit fashion – the thing that first got me into this industry. Every purchase you make from this collection will directly support my mission in continuing to create art that represents my culture and encourages all people to water themselves and continuing blooming.”
Said Nordstrom, the original artwork created includes:
- No Rain, No Flowers, which tells the cyclical story of life — You must go through things in life and experience the rain to recognize when you have flowers. You wouldn’t know how good you have it if you didn’t experience the inevitable hardships of life.
- A Planted Seed, Grows, which reminds us of the importance of watering and pouring back into yourself. You must be solid, unwavering, and rooted to grow in life.
- Live To Blossom is about the process. Like this art technique which entails painting a series of flowers and deliberately smashing them together to create a new piece of art, life is about going through things. You can experience something – good or bad – and come out on the other side not necessarily better or worse but different. Allowing yourself to go through the process is a part of your bloom cycle.
In addition to the launch of Nordstrom by Cristina Martinez collection, Nordstrom will honor Latinx Heritage Month by celebrating Latinx-owned, operated and designed brands including Viva La Bonita, Camila Mesar, Squeeze de Citron, Costa Brazil, Kids of Immigrants, Kid Dangerous, Holo, Alix NYC, Tata Harper, The Honest Company, Clare V. and more. Nordstrom has long believed in the value diversity brings to the company and its communities, and believe they have a role to play in contributing to the positive change that’s needed to address systemic racial inequity, said the brand. The retailer set goals to address its most pressing opportunities, including delivering $500M in retail sales from brands owned by, operated by or designed by Black and/or Latinx individuals and increasing representation of Black and Latinx populations in people manager roles by at least 50% by 2025.
As part of Nordstrom’s 2021 corporate giving efforts the company provided grants and funding to organizations that support the Latinx community including United We Dream, The Posse Foundation, Geeking Out Kids of Color and The Latino Student Fund.
