To celebrate its 125th birthday, Bergdorf Goodman is sticking to what it’s best known for — designer exclusives, eye-catching windows and in-store fashion displays exuding sophistication and luxury.

The commemoration kicked off Wednesday night with a party at the store, continues through the fall season, and involves every part of the business that touches shoppers. It’s a celebration enticing the public to rediscover Bergdorf’s and how it has maintained its status as among the most elegant, luxurious emporiums in the world, through both bountiful and challenging times.

For the 125th, Bergdorf’s has partnered with more than 100 brands on exclusive collections and special products spanning more than 850 styles. From Akris, there are evening-focused archive revivals. Azzedine Alaïa’s iconic 1982 Bergdorf Goodman show is represented, and Schiaparelli provides rare collectors’ pieces. There are also capsule collections from Roger Vivier and Michael Kors. Other designers participating in the event include Brunello Cucinelli, Diotima, Thom Browne, Tom Ford and Zankov.

“This season, we’re bringing our 125th anniversary to life in a way that feels distinctly Bergdorf Goodman — creating moments of discovery, celebration and connection across every part of our clients’ experience,” said Tracy Margolies, Bergdorf Goodman’s president, in a statement provided to WWD. “From exclusive products and special collaborations with valued partners to our iconic windows, digital storytelling and experiences throughout the store, we’re celebrating what our clients have always loved about Bergdorf Goodman while giving them new reasons to engage and discover. Throughout our history, Bergdorf Goodman has had a remarkable ability to stay true to who we are while continuing to evolve. I’m incredibly proud to lead Bergdorf Goodman into its next chapter — shaping our future while preserving the creativity, exceptional curation, relationships and values that have defined us for 125 years.”

Linda Fargo, Bergdorf’s senior vice president of the fashion office and store presentation, added: “What makes this milestone moment especially exciting is the extraordinary creativity our brand partners have brought to it. Each brand has beautifully interpreted 125 years of Bergdorf Goodman through their own distinct point of view, resulting in exclusive pieces, unexpected collaborations and special moments that feel both deeply personal and uniquely Bergdorf.”

With the celebration comes an outpouring of nostalgia, with photos of celebrities, designers and special events that brought decades of glamour to Bergdorf’s and shaped its history. Bergdorf’s Fifth Avenue windows, across the women’s and men’s stores, are filled with historical imagery and fall fashion against a backdrop of BG’s signature lavender color. “Very Bergdorf,” a book published this fall by Assouline with an introduction by Wendy Goodman, captures much of the history and creativity of the store. And there are filmed interviews with celebrity stylist Kate Young, actress Candice Bergen, Proenza Schouler’s creative director Rachel Scott, and designer Michael Kors whose lives and careers have intersected with the store.

“I’m a born-and-bred New Yorker, and my career was launched at Bergdorf Goodman,” said Kors. “I was working at a boutique called Lothar’s across 57th Street and one day Dawn Mello, their fashion director at the time, walked in and gave me her card. I went home that night and immediately started sketching my first collection, which Bergdorf Goodman bought in 1981. To be celebrating my anniversary here 45 years later, with this incredible cast of women featured in the Fifth Avenue windows, is a dream come true and a full-circle moment.” Kors is just one of scores of designers and emerging talents that Bergdorf’s has championed and introduced to customers, serving as a springboard for brands and designers to grow their businesses.

Albert Kriemler, creative director of Akris, remembered: “When I graduated from school in 1979, my parents gave me the gift of a week in New York. It was an eye-opening experience. I stayed uptown, immersing myself in the international world of fashion. I said to myself then, ‘If I ever made it as a designer, I would like to see Akris in those Bergdorf Goodman windows one day.’ That dream became reality in 1988, when Dawn Mello welcomed us. Looking back, that memory makes our shared history all the more meaningful. Thank you for your trust and belief in us. Congratulations on 125 years of Bergdorf Goodman!”

Christopher John Rogers said: “Bergdorf Goodman picked us up during our second season at retail, so they’ve been part of our story from very early on. What I’ve always loved about Bergdorf is that there’s a real point of view; you go there to discover something, to be surprised and to understand why something matters. They’ve always made room for specificity and for designers who are proposing something distinct, while introducing those ideas to an incredibly discerning customer. For an independent brand like ours, that kind of belief and support has been invaluable. It’s very special to have grown alongside them, and to now celebrate 125 years of Bergdorf Goodman together.”

Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli’s creative director, said: “The generations of extraordinary people behind Bergdorf Goodman have always understood that fashion is more than commerce. It is our culture held up to us, a reflection of our time. Its relationship with Schiaparelli is a historic one, and from my very first collection, Bergdorf believed deeply in the vision we were building. For the first four years of my tenure, it was the only place outside Paris where our collections could be found. That kind of partnership is extraordinarily rare, and I will always be grateful for it. When we celebrate 125 years of Bergdorf Goodman, we celebrate an institution that has not only supported fashion history, but helped create it.”

Manolo Blahnik recalled: “The first time I saw Bergdorf’s windows was in the 1970s while riding in a taxi. I asked the driver to stop immediately. I had never seen anything so remarkable; their creativity, imagination and sense of wonder left a lasting impression on me. Bergdorf Goodman is New York.”

And Marc Jacobs said, “As a designer, and a New Yorker, it has always been the ultimate goal to have your clothes for sale at Bergdorf Goodman.”

The Bergdorf Goodman Timeline

1901: French tailor Herman Bergdorf launches Bergdorf’s on Fifth Avenue at 19th Street. The company was renamed Bergdorf Goodman that year after Bergdorf’s apprentice, Edwin Goodman of Lockport, N.Y., bought part ownership in the business.

1914: Goodman buys Bergdorf out and moves the operation to Midtown Manhattan by Rockefeller Center. Goodman becomes the first couturier to introduce French and American ready-to-wear.

1928: Goodman erects the current Beaux-Arts building on Fifth Avenue between 57th and 58th streets, which had been the location of Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s family home.

1951: Goodman’s son Andrew becomes president of Bergdorf Goodman.

1953: Andrew Goodman becomes head, chairman and owner of the company following his father’s death.

1972: Goodman sells the business to Carter Hawley Hale Stores (CHH).

1975: Ira Neimark and Dawn Mello begin transforming BG from a traditional department store into one of the world’s most luxurious and innovative retail destinations.

1987: To avoid a takeover, CHH spins off Bergdorf’s and Neiman’s, forming the Neiman Marcus Group, with General Cinema Corp. the majority stakeholder.

1990: Bergdorf’s moves its men’s business across the street, enabling an expansion of women’s categories in the main store on the opposite side of Fifth Avenue.

2005: Neiman Marcus Group is sold entirely to private equity firms TPG Capital and Warburg Pincus.

2013: Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board buy the Neiman Marcus Group from TPG and Warburg Pincus.

2019: Bergdorf gets dragged down by the bankruptcy of its parent, the Neiman Marcus Group.

2020: NMG emerges from bankruptcy with senior lenders PIMCO, Davidson Kempner Capital Management and Sixth Street Partners swapping debt for equity and becoming new owners.

2024: Hudson’s Bay Co., which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, buys NMG.

2025: HBC forms Saks Global and purchases NMG.

2026: Saks Global files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but emerges five months later with a much healthier balance sheet and new name, the Exemplar Luxury Group, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.