Biography
One of the first retailers to open a store in New York’s Meatpacking district in the late 90s, founder of the Jeffrey boutique chain Jeffrey Kalinsky is widely credited with having spurred the rejuvenation of the now trendy west Manhattan locale. Serving as director of design merchandising in Nordstroms following the company’s acquisition of his namesake boutiques in 2005, Kalinsky was appointed to his current role of executive vice president of designer merchandising in 2007. Introducing designers such as Gucci, Nina Ricci and Comme des Garcons, Kalinsky has helped Nordstroms to evolve into a more contemporary and fashion forward retailer, appealing to a newer generation of luxury consumers.
Founding his first Jeffrey boutique in Atlanta, Kalinsky, a former shoe buyer at Bob Ellis and Barneys New York, also established the first Jil Sander boutique in the southern city in the early 90s. Moving to New York in 1999, Kalinsky opened his second Jeffrey boutique to instant industry acclaim and became one of the first speciality stores to stock designers such as Gucci, Helmut Lang and Ann Demeulemeester . In August 2018, Kalinsky opened his third location, a 12,000-square-foot boutique in Palo Alto, California. In August 2019, Kalinsky celebrated 20 years of his Meatpacking district boutique in New York.
In 2003, Kalinsky founded the Jeffrey Cares charity organisation, holding annual catwalk and fashion events attended by high profile industry insiders, to raise funds for charitable foundations. In 2013, the charity raised an estimated $800,000 for Susan G Koman for the Cure and the Atlanta Aids Fund.