HALL OF FAME – NORDSTROM, INC.

JAMIE NORDSTROM, Chief Merchandising Officer, Nordstrom

“Nordstrom has always been about helping customers express themselves and make them feel good and look their best, and fragrance does that in a way that almost nothing else can. It’s deeply personal. It connects to memory, to identity, and emotion.”

What does it mean for Nordstrom to receive the 2026 Hall of Fame Award, especially as it coincides with the milestone of your 125th Anniversary?

Receiving this recognition from The Fragrance Foundation means a lot to us and receiving it in our 125th anniversary year makes it that much more special.

This award is really a reflection of the people who have built this business over 125 years- our employees, our brand partners, and the customers who have given Nordstrom the privilege of serving them over the years. Fragrance has been a meaningful part of our story for many decades, and to be recognized by the industry in this way is something we’re genuinely proud of.

Starting as a single shoe store, Nordstrom has grown and expanded into many apparel and accessory categories, what is it about Fragrance that makes it so important to Nordstrom?

Fragrance is one of those categories that really speaks to who we are as a retailer. At its core, Nordstrom has always been about helping customers express themselves and make them feel good and look their best, and fragrance does that in a way that almost nothing else can. It’s deeply personal. It connects to memory, to identity, and emotion.

We carry a broad assortment, from iconic fragrance houses to emerging and niche brands that customers are discovering for the first time. Our teams genuinely love helping people find something that feels right for them, it’s not a transactional category, finding a fragrance is an experience, and that aligns perfectly with what we’ve always tried to do.

As Chief Merchandising Officer, what is it about fragrance that excites you personally across the categories you oversee?

This category is dynamic. The range of brands, the storytelling, the way customers are becoming more sophisticated and curious about scent, it excites us as merchants. And at the end of the day, creating emotional connections and lasting memories for our customers is at the heart of everything we do at Nordstrom. We’ve always believed that how a customer feels when they leave us matters just as much as what they bought. Fragrance is one of the purest expressions of that.

How has fragrance shopping changed in your stores and for your customers?

The customer continues to evolve, and it is important for us to evolve alongside them. There’s a much higher level of curiosity and knowledge now, and customers come in having already done research, discovered brands through social media or received a recommendation from a friend, and they want to go deeper. They’re not just looking for a signature scent; they’re building a wardrobe of fragrances. Discovery is a big part of the experience now and we are here to support that.

The role of our salespeople has never been more important. With so many choices for the customer, they want an expert they trust to help them navigate and find the perfect scent.  We’ve put in a lot of effort, with the help of our brand partners, to ensure our teams are trained and empowered to have those conversations.

What sets Nordstrom’s fragrance experience in-store and online apart in the retail landscape?

What sets us apart really comes down to breadth, expertise, and convenience. Our assortment spans the full range from prestige classics to emerging and niche brands, customers can find everything under one roof, and we hope to inspire a sense of discovery every time our customers shop with us.

Our beauty salespeople are knowledgeable and passionate about fragrance, and we’ve designed our beauty floor to serve our customers on their terms. A customer can walk in, spend three minutes, grab exactly what they came for and be on their way – or spend three hours exploring, sampling, and engaging in high touch consultation with a beauty and fragrance expert.

What excites you about the American fragrance market?

What excites me most is how much opportunity there is. The fragrance category has been shifting in a real way, younger customers have grown up with a completely different relationship to scent, and they see it as a form of self-expression, the same way they think about what they wear or how they style themselves. That’s a fundamental change, and it’s creating a broader, more engaged customer base.

The growth of niche and indie brands reflects this shift, customers want something that feels personal and authentic, not just a name they recognize from an ad.

What do you see as the future of fragrance retailing? How is Nordstrom leading the way through technology and in-store experiences?

The future is about making the experience feel more personalized, whether that’s in-store or online. Technology has a real role to play in helping customers find what they’re looking for and discover something they might not have selected on their own, it also has a role in supporting our salespeople in supporting discovery and providing more seamless service.

In-store, the experiential dimension will only become more important. The reason people still want to come in and smell something is irreplaceable, but we can do so much more to make that visit feel special through creating excitement with events, exclusive launches, expert consultations and more.

At TFF, we like to say that fragrance is the “invisible accessory.” How do you keep customers engaged with the category?

To keep customers engaged, it comes down to discovery and storytelling. We work hard to surface new brands and help customers understand what makes each one special the ingredients, the inspiration, the founder’s story. We use our platforms, our editorial content, and our in-store events to keep the excitement going around fragrance. Our people are really the key- when a salesperson is passionate about the category, it makes for a more meaningful interaction with our customers.

Why is fragrance so important to the overall beauty and wellness category?

Fragrance sits at the intersection of beauty and wellness in a way that few other categories do, it is deeply sensory and emotional. Scents have the unique ability to create a mood and a feeling, and as customers think more holistically about their well-being, fragrance has become a part of the conversation. It’s no longer siloed as just a luxury purchase, fragrance has become part of self-care ritual that has a role in our customer’s daily life.

You have had a long career with Nordstrom spanning many functions most recently as Chief Stores Officer before transitioning to Chief Merchandising Officer, how have your varied roles impacted the fragrance experience at Nordstrom?

At Nordstrom, we believe you are the sum of your experience. Every role I’ve had has added a layer of perspective I’m genuinely grateful for. Having supported our stores, I understand how much every detail matters in delivering for the customer – the physical environment, the quality of service, the real connections our salespeople build with our customers.

That lens shapes how we approach merchandising. When we think about our fragrance assortment, we’re not just thinking about what’s on the floor, we’re thinking about how it comes to life for the customer who walks in. That’s made me a real advocate for investing in our people, in how we visually bring brands to life in our stores, and partnering with the best brands in the world that give us something genuinely special to offer the customer.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT PERFUMER
HONORINE BLANC

By April Long

I think when you evolve as a perfumer, you go through different stages. Which is good because then it is never boring.

Honorine Blanc, the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award, is a true trailblazer. Born in Beirut, she has forged a unique and inspiring path in the fragrance industry with her determination, extraordinary talent, and enthusiastic embrace of new ideas and technologies. Named Master Perfumer by dsm-firmenich in 2013, Blanc has been based in New York since the 1990s, and her unique understanding of the American consumer has resulted in a roll-call of major successes, including Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy, YSL Black Opium, Valentino Born in Roma, Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle, and Bath & Body Works Gingham. Her passion and ingenuity have impacted all who have worked with her throughout her career as well as those who wear and love the many memorable scents she has created.

For the 2026 TFF Awards gala at Lincoln Center, Blanc also created an ambient scent for all attendees to enjoy. Named Cedar Jasmine 1986, she envisioned it as an expression of her journey, with a cedar note paying homage to the country in which she was born intertwined with a beautiful fresh jasmine. “Cedarwood from Lebanon is very solid and has very strong roots,” she says. “And the jasmine is very bright, like the optimism of New York City. The fragrance is my Garden of Paradise for Lincoln Center for the night, and it is something that I would wear myself. It truly represents who I am as a person, not just as a perfumer.”

How did it feel when you heard you would receive the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award?

I was very surprised and emotional. It’s such an honor to get an award like this, and it felt like a great recognition for me, especially coming from the Fragrance Foundation in the United States.

How did you begin in perfumery?

I grew up in Lebanon. And even when I was very young, I was inspired by beauty. I was always smelling my mother’s fragrances. She wore Shalimar, and every Christmas my father gave her a fragrance. I was also surrounded by jasmine and gardenia, because in Lebanon it’s very common to have them growing in your backyard. I was fascinated by scent, and when we moved to Paris in 1986, I wanted to pursue perfumery. I was a woman, and not French, and not from Grasse, so I thought it was impossible. But I never gave up. I knocked on every door until Firmenich took me as an intern in the lab. That was where I started meeting perfumers, who told me I needed to go to ISIPCA in Versailles. When I graduated, I was offered an internship at IFF in New York in 1993. And after the internship, they hired me. I was very lucky.

Who were your mentors along the way?

Sophia Grojsman was my mentor for seven years, so she had a huge influence on me. At the time we did not have access to a lot of the tools we have today, so she taught me how to work from white paper, and not format my brain with things that were done before. I use her techniques even today. I learned from her how to structure a formula and how to work simply, but also how to be daring and try new combinations. I was lucky throughout all of my career to work with amazing perfumers. Pierre Bourdon was also a very big influence on me. And when I started at Firmenich, I had Harry Frémont at my side. I was always surrounded by truly great master perfumers.

At the time you were working with Sophia there weren’t many female master perfumers. Do you think it has gotten easier for women?

It has gotten much easier. When I started, there were very few women. It was very tough at that time. But I believe that, in the end, if you are a man or a woman it doesn’t matter. It’s the work that is rewarded. I always wanted to be recognized for that, and not my gender. It’s about perseverance, being humble, and being curious. You must also have respect for your formula, your colleagues, and your clients. I think this is very important.

How would you describe your style?

I love to create new combinations. I’m very curious. I get inspiration from art and music. But I would say there are two elements that are very important in my work. The first is nature. I spend time in nature smelling, because that is where the best combinations can be found. Second is sensuality. I wanted to find a new way of creating women’s sensuality in fragrance, because for a long time it was defined by men. Everything was dark and intense, and for me, women’s sensuality is soft, sensual, creamy, and slow. Throughout my career I have tried to express and evolve the understanding of female sensuality. It doesn’t have to always be warm, for example, it can be also fresh. It’s really about textures.

I have also always worked very closely with technology compared to other perfumers. I am very involved with research, and finding new ways of understanding formulas from both a scientific point of view and an emotional point of view. I believe that so much more can be done in our industry. I would love for fragrance to become a smart product, to become a product of technology. This will not take away our creativity. I think we are going be more creative, with AI next to us. It will force us to get out of our comfort zone and create new fragrances with new structures. When you look at music, architecture, painting—everyone is using technology. You have to be modern. You have to see the future, and train the next generation. It’s fun.

What have been some of your proudest achievements?

I’m proud of every fragrance I create, and people who work with me know that I will have the same focus whether it’s a small or a big project. But I think the hardest thing as a perfumer is to find your own signature, and my proudest achievement is that I found mine. People know that I created the fluffy texture, a texture that never existed before. Even the word was never used before I created Viva La Juicy. I am proud that I brought a new signature to the American market. What I love is when people smell my fragrances and say, ‘Oh, this is Honorine!’”

What has it been like to establish your career as a perfumer in the U.S.?

When I arrived in 1993, I found that New York gave me opportunities I didn’t have before. This country opened doors for me, and I got attached to my life here. I really wanted to understand the American market. It’s interesting because coming from the outside, sometimes you understand better what happens inside. I really took the time to understand the consumer, working with major brands that are very American, such as Bath & Body Works, Ralph Lauren, Gap, and many more. I love the diversity here. It was also very important for me to elevate this market in the world. Because I think a lot is done here in United States, but in the past, nobody knew it. It took time for us to evolve, but now we are creating so much newness. Today we’re very important for the fragrance market globally. Everybody’s looking at us, because we are trendsetters.

What are some of your favorite notes to work with?

I love new ingredients, so every time there is a captive, or something unique, I like to play with it. I like to combine technology and naturals. I like the new ingredients on the market that nobody has smelled before, because those are the ones that are most difficult and I love a challenge.

I worked a lot with flowers when I worked on Aerin. I’m attached to flowers because they have different facets, and I like to highlight the facet that people don’t see or change the texture or signature of a flower.

I think when you evolve as a perfumer, you go through different stages. Which is good because then it is never boring.