Jeffrey Kalinsky Alters Nordstrom Role

Jeffrey Kalinsky has announced he will be stepping back from his role as executive vp of designer merchandising at Nordstrom Inc. (Seattle) after eight and a half years. 

According to a report in Women’s Wear Daily, Kalinsky won’t sever ties with the retailer but “is planning to focus part of his time on projects outside Nordstrom.”

Kalinsky will continue to operate his two namesake stores, Jeffrey New York and Jeffrey in Atlanta, which Nordstrom bought in 2005. He has remained president and ceo of Jeffrey Inc., based in both New York and Atlanta.

At Nordstrom, Kalinsky’s title will shift to vp and designer fashion director and he’ll retain many of his current responsibilities, including choosing the product for Nordstrom’s marketing campaigns and the two 16-page advertising portfolios in Vogue twice a year.

Peter Nordstrom, president of merchandising, said the company will hire someone to take over the responsibilities Kalinsky is relinquishing. “Ultimately, for us to continue to make the progress we want to make, we have to invest against that,” Nordstrom told Women’s Wear. “I learned a long time ago, it’s good to be open-minded. That door’s always open. I fully anticipate we’ll continue to work on stuff.”