Nordstrom NYC Streets Fall 2019 Ad Campaign by Gus Powell

Among their own personal hustle and bustle of opening their NYC Flagship store, Nordstrom has released a campaign capturing the beauty of New York City’s own everyday hustle and bustle. Lensed by Gus Powell, following the inspiration and eye of acclaimed photographer Joel Meyerowitz, the campaign breaks the company into a New York state of mind.

Creative Director Olivia Kim curates a campaign that presents a spectrum of the new fall fashion while incorporating the context and everyday life of real NYC streets. For this brand’s new store opening, this is an ingenious strategy due to the fact that they themselves are immersed in trying to relate and connect with what real New Yorkers go through on their everyday commute. This creates a deeper purpose as the brand chooses authentic people to represent their brand and their new store.

To celebrate the milestone opening of our Nordstrom NYC flagship store opening this fall, we set out to shoot a campaign that pays homage one of the greatest cities in the world. I wanted to capture the feeling of New York through the people that live there, unexpected moments that happen in the blink of an eye, and the vibrant energy of the city. The casting was a mix of models and real New Yorkers, some of which we stopped right on the street and cast on the spot, I believe every single person has a story to tell.
– Olivia Kim | VP of Creative Projects at Nordstrom

“We collaborated with Joel Meyerowitz as he is one of the most acclaimed street photographers of the 20th century,” Kim went on to explain to The Impression. “Joel’s protégé Gus Powell worked with us to shoot photos up and down Broadway and its side streets- capturing iconic corners that New Yorkers know, but also locations that can represent any city. Some of the images are references to iconic images by Joel Meyerowitz like the woman doing her makeup on a scooter at the stoplight, and a man carrying a large poodle down the street – others are entirely new expressions that we have captured to represent a day in the life of New York.”

The result is a campaign that has all the energy of New York City but makes the city accessible with a hometown feel. Meyerowitz and Powell’s abilities to capture the magical, candid moments of city life conveys a great love of people and human connection. The campaign is celebration of new horizons on the hudson for Nordstrom and the people of New York.