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Chief merchandising officer Lana Todorovich explains how the new awards program is geared to benefit designers and customers and bring greater exclusivity and business to Neiman's.
There are no shortage of designer awards in fashion - but the Neiman Marcus Group Awards are gearing up to be something different.
Executives of the Dallas-based luxury retailer say their NMG Awards is "a 360-degree platform" for elevating a designer's distribution across NMG's three selling channels - stores, e-commerce and remote selling - and furthering its strategy of "retail-tainment," which centers on developing innovative special events and activations in stores. Exclusives are also part of the program.
In effect, the NMG Awards signal greater exposure for the honored designers and their brands to the U.S. market, and are intended to introduce them to new customers and strengthen loyalty among existing customers.
"It's really important to distinguish the Neiman Marcus Group Awards from other awards. It's not just a recognition program. It's a platform to really recognize and celebrate and support the brands in an amplified way, backed by the full power of our merchandise and marketing engines," said Lana Todorovich, NMG's chief merchandising officer.
"It's not a just statue to keep. There's really this whole program behind it," she said.
It's also an effort by NMG to strengthen its own relationships with designers and gain an edge on other companies it competes most directly with, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.
"We believe that strong brand partner relationships enable us to buy with conviction and offer the best of luxury and exclusives to Neiman Marcus," Todorovich added. "This awards platform exemplifies our modern approach to integrated luxury retail and curated assortments - bringing top luxury brands and the luxury customer together through exclusive activations."
Neiman's chief merchant underscored that the Neiman Marcus Group Awards will "help designers express their brand's stories and present the full expressions of their brands...