Well played Nordstorm, well played.
The American fashion retailer is doing its part to represent body diversity in a sea of size zeros.
The company, who has been using models with disabilities since 1991, has featured a woman in a wheelchair modelling boots, and a man with a prosthetic leg modelling Nike running shoes in their latest catalogue.
The catalogue in question is the company’s annual July anniversary catalogue, which is huge because it promotes their biggest sale of the year with preview discounts on new season autumn/winter fashion.
“Identifying companies that utilize models or actresses with disabilities has been like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Meg O’Connell, a partner at the consulting firm Global Disability Inclusion told AP.
Nordstrom, she added, “is a leader in this space and has been a long-standing supporter of disability inclusion not only in their advertising but also in employment and accessibility in their stores.”
The catalogue doesn’t make mention of their disabilities, nor is the clothing altered in any way.
They just happen to be models representing the people with billions in buying power that often get overlooked in fashion advertising.
Nordstrom spokeswoman Tara Darrow told AP using the models is “really about reflecting the customers and communities we serve.”
“We serve diverse customers and it’s an opportunity for them to see themselves when they’re looking through the book or online. … We don’t promote it or go out and talk about it. We just think they look great.”
Well said.
