For almost three decades, the Couture Show has welcomed industry insiders into the fold, introducing new brands to creators, buyers, influencers and executives who appreciate glittering excellence in the form of one-of-a-kind jewelry and exquisite gemstones. The show recognizes designers and brands as artists creating work of enduring value. They honor jewelry as an artform while paying tribute to tradition and implementing innovations that expand the craft.
From rising star designers to heritage brands, Couture showcases the tastemakers, the trendsetters and the standard bearers for exceptional design and craftsmanship – which has created a growing community within the industry. In 2023, the show saw nearly 350 exhibitors and a spike in attendees from the year prior, all delighted to enter a buzzing show floor with brands expanding price categories and sparking trends (including colorful gemstones, white gold and new men’s offerings) while becoming immersed in their storytelling.
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As with any showcase of Couture’s magnitude and preeminence, key players are working behind the scenes year-round to raise the bar year after year. Led by Gannon Brousseau and a team that includes Jan Mohr and Michelle Orman, this year’s show promises to once again set the stage for the industry for the year ahead.
Take Brousseau, director of Couture and executive vice president of Emerald, whose role includes overseeing all aspects of Couture, from the curation of exhibiting designers and brands to partnerships with major trade organizations to the music piped into the ballroom and everything in between. In conversation, he described the Couture team as small but dedicated and very hands-on.
“We speak the same language,” said Brousseau. “I trust those with whom I work to safeguard our shared vision of Couture when making decisions that impact the event. It’s helpful that everyone on our team is genuinely obsessed with designer fine jewelry and luxury timepieces and extremely knowledgeable about the product we showcase.”
Similarly, Michelle Orman, head of press relations and communications for Couture, said she wears many hats and is fueled by a genuine passion for fine jewelry designs and new perspectives from creating the Couture podcast to writing brand spotlights and style pieces. Her job, she said, is to shine a light on the community’s most spectacular qualities.
While Couture happens over only a few days, planning for Couture takes the entire year and Jan Mohr, retailer liaison at Couture and honorary presenter of the annual Couture Design Awards, is in touch with key retailers throughout, often helping them identify designers and brands that may be a good fit for their store or sourcing specific pieces/collections when requested. When it finally comes time for the industry to gather, she said seeing everyone in person again feels like welcoming them back to summer camp.
Together, Brousseau, Orman and Mohr create an exclusive showcasing of only the best of the best in designer fine jewelry and luxury timepieces, catering to top-tier retailers and influential members of the industry. Here, in conversation, they share insights into how they have worked together for decades from within Couture to create a dazzling showcase and foster community for the industry.
Dream Team
Gannon Brousseau: I’m proud to work with a small but dedicated team, many of whom I’ve worked with for a decade or more. When working with our sales team, I am confident that they are identifying and courting only the best in class in each category of jewelry and timepieces represented at the show. And I believe our marketing and communications team is the best in the business – they care about the industry and the brand, and they make sure that everything we do best exemplifies this special community. Then, our operations team is the backbone of our event. The team is meticulous in coordinating all details of creating a seamless experience for both exhibitors and attendees of Couture.
There’s also this very vibrant sense of collaboration at play within this community, with designers recommending other designers as exhibitors or suggesting retailers we should invite, retailers advocating for other retailers or encouraging us to consider a new designer. It’s a really special, unique community and I feel very lucky to be a part of it.
Jan Mohr: As the Retailer Liaison I work with our Cornerstone Retailers and all of our retail partners to ensure they have a seamless Couture experience. In addition to helping them with any logistics related to the event, I also consider them personal friends and am in touch with many of them throughout the year. My favorite part of Couture is getting to see everyone again in person – It feels like summer camp, and I love coming together with the rest of the team.
Michelle Orman: It is my job to handle the press and communications for the Couture Show, which means I wear a bunch of different hats. Throughout the year, I work closely with Erin O’Donnell, our vice president of marketing, on the strategy and development of communications we send out. I also act as the editor-in-chief of our website, writing brand spotlights, style pieces, retailer profiles and other editorial features.
My favorite part of Couture is also the biggest part of what I do at the show and that’s the Couture Design Awards. I work with Gannon Brousseau, Jan Mohr and Erin O’Donnell in establishing the unique panel of judges each year. It’s amazing to be able to honor the finalists and winners, and the recipient of the Cindy Edelstein Award, in an environment befitting their incredible work; it’s such a special evening, it is a highlight of the entire year.
Spectacular Showing
G.B.: When I first joined Couture after working on other shows within Emerald’s portfolio for close to a decade, I was immediately struck by the strong sense of community that exists among designers, brands, retailers and press. These people all like, admire and respect one another. I saw my role, largely, as enriching that sense of community.
Our designers and brands want, and deserve, a show that plays host to the very best buyers, influential press and important industry organizations who are positioned to enhance the value of their businesses. They also appreciate exhibiting in an elegant environment among their peers. Our attendees have come to rely upon Couture for discovering a curation of exceptional designer fine jewelry and luxury timepiece brands from across the globe.
M.O.: I always say that the most amazing part of Couture is that designers and brands truly feel they are exhibiting among their peers. There is such a sense of comaraderie among them, they root for one another’s successes and celebrate their wins. It is not uncommon to see a designer take a retailer by the hand and lead them to another designer’s salon and tell them “You haveto see this collection!” And similarly, the retailers are all delighted to spend time with one another. They share best practices, brainstorm ideas, and share their perspective on design. It’s just this sort of kinder, gentler side to the industry, it’s unique and humbling to be a part of.
I believe that the Couture community is driving the direction of our industry in meaningful ways, and I try to support that however I can.
J.M.: I came from a retail and wholesale background before joining the team at Couture, so I have a deep appreciation for the challenges retailers face. I also understand from a designer’s perspective how competitive the landscape is, and how important it is to find true partnerships with retailers. It is heartening to see the level of thoughtfulness this community showcases in working together. They model the concept that successful businesses can transcend the merely transactional and that we’re stronger as an industry when we treat one another with respect and integrity. I am honored to do what I can to set them up for success.
20-Year Legacy
G.B.: While several obvious, fundamental changes have taken place in the last years — we moved into a new ballroom within Wynn Las Vegas where the majority of our designers and brands exhibit in salons under one roof, we’ve reintroduced education, we’ve elevated our Design Awards event — there’s also this more esoteric evolution of Couture that’s just as meaningful.
The things that made this show so unique when I first attended in 2011 are not only still very much present, they’re also even more apparent. We’re not the biggest show in the industry, and that’s by design; we strive to be the very best at what we do, we lean into who we are, and as a team and as a community, we are always striving to improve upon our successes.
M.O.: I’ve been working with Couture for more than 20 years and from my point of view, Couture has just sort of grown into itself. We’ve made some big changes, but the most pronounced changes for me are more nuanced. We’re just a more thoughtful and intentional show now, and I attribute this to the small but mighty team I am fortunate to work alongside.
As demonstrated by Gannon, no detail is too large or too small for our careful consideration, and we are meticulous in our analysis of every touchpoint of the event. we’re just doing our best to try to keep pace with the elevated level of design our designers and brands continue to debut at Couture.
There is no precedent for the amount of beauty, innovation and creativity we get to see at Couture each year, it always takes my breath away.
J.M.: In over 20 years, I’ve seen it all. From back in the “campfire days” in Scottsdale to our first year at Wynn Las Vegas to being in the new ballroom, it’s been a whirlwind of change.
Yet while the environment has certainly become more sophisticated, our community stronger, and every aspect of our special events more elevated, Couture continues to feel true to its essential nature. We bring the most talented and creative designers in the world together with the most exceptional and savvy retailers from across the globe. Couture remains an opportunity to foster relationships, discover talent and have a great time with longtime friends and new ones.