Positioned to cater to the elite community of renowned brands, emerging design talents, retailers and media in the jewellery industry around the globe, the Couture show in Las Vegas was successfully held between 2 and 6 June 2017 at Wynn Resort. According to the show organiser Emerald Expositions, this is the only venue in the United States to present an exquisitely curated collection of more than 200 designers and brands.
The organiser did not release post-show figures because they believe that what matters most are the quality and meanings of the show to the industry, instead of statistics. Gannon Brousseau, director of Couture show and senior vice president of Emerald Expositions revealed that exhibitors were pleased with the overall results of the show, the quality of their appointments and the business relationship they built and fostered over the course of the show. They also got positive feedback from retailers and press in terms of the quality and selection of the products showcased. Both exhibitors and visitors were satisfied with the arrangement of various events including Opening Night Event and the Couture Design Awards.
The organiser has certain criteria of exhibitor selection for the limited exhibition space. Brousseau told Hong Kong Jewellery that their team has to ensure that the new brands they recruit will not be too similar to the existing ones, and in the curation of fine designer jewellery brands, the team needs them to have a specific and unique positioning.
This year Couture show deliberately included some established high jewellery brands such as David Webb, and Bayco and Oscar Heyman who re-joined the show after a decade. “We felt that by incorporating these jewellery design houses into our fine designer jewellery collections, we created a comprehensive environment for our attending retailers and press,” Brousseau added.
London-based designer brand Julien Riad Sahyoun was a newcomer to the show. They presented the new collection 3ternity featuring three infinity signs that stand for the designer’s three core values – love, friendship and soul. Designer Julien Riad Sahyoun told Hong Kong Jewellery that they met many leading buyers mainly from the United States, Europe and the Middle East at the show. At the moment they are in the process of signing contracts with a few of them.
“Couture is one of the most important and highly anticipated exhibitions in the jewellery world and we were very pleased to be there. The show was a big success for us, we were awarded the second runner-up of Best in Debuting at Couture in the Couture Design Awards, which is a great achievement for our first show,” Sahyoun said. He projects that apart from their presence in the States, UK and Greece, the brand will enter more new markets by the end of 2017 and the participation at Couture will definitely help.
Also debuting at Couture show this time, the New York brand Karma El Khalil is well-known for its pyramid, triangle and negative space signature designs and the use of body chains and lariats. They launched the new Echo Collection at the show that turned out to be a big hit. Designer Karma El Khalil said that their first experience at the show was positive with diversified visitors and quality buyers mainly from the States. “I am looking forward to Paris Fashion Week in the fall of 2017 and a few upcoming creative projects that for now are kept under wraps,” she expects.
The next Couture show in Las Vegas will be held from 31 May to 4 June in 2018 at the same venue. According to Gannon Brousseau, the organiser will implement “some strategic and thoughtful expansion of Couturetime”, the timepiece pavilion of Couture show. “This year marked the second official year of having a timepiece presence, and the feedback we received from both exhibitors and attendees was positive overall. We’d like to leverage the momentum and become a true, destination event that satisfies all of the buying needs of our retailers and all the editorial needs of our attending press,” he concluded.
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