The Highlights and Events of Couture 2025 Nurture Relationships and Celebrate Design Excellence

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2 days ago

Couture, the preeminent trade show for fine and high jewelry and timepieces in the U.S., returns to Wynn Las Vegas hosting a mix of designers, buyers, influencers and executives, all eager to take in the curated selection of fine jewelry that will set the trends for the rest of 2025 and beyond.
With approximately 300 brands from across the globe partaking in the annual event, Couture expects 4,000 members of the jewelry and watch industry to walk the show floor from June 4 to June 8. This year sees the return of an upgraded Couture app to help guests better organize their experience. 'We are finally bringing our show into this century!' joked Gannon Brousseau, director, Couture and executive vice president, Emerald. 'But in all seriousness, while this is definitely a more traditional industry, our community has been pushing us to launch an app for quite a while.'
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Brousseau explained that their goal was to make sure they had the right platform that would create a seamless experience for everyone in attendance, 'so we're definitely leaning into the app more this year.' In addition to being a convenient way to have all event information, salon listings and floor plans, the 2025 app is capable of facilitating appointment bookings. 'And it's useful for us to be able to send push notifications with important reminders,' he said.
Each year, Couture showcases the full breadth of fine jewelry, including everyday staples and classics to collectible and avant-garde one-of-a-kind showstoppers. 'We are really looking for best-in-class designers and brands across all categories,' Brousseau said of the mix. 'We seek the originators of designs and ideas, and we are constantly on the lookout for new, rising star talent as well as heritage brands that may be a fit for the show.' The show team curates the show intentionally small. 'We have to be extremely thoughtful about every brand that exhibits with us and ensure that their designs showcase a unique, singular point of view,' he said.
At its core, the show is built around community and relationships — a key point of difference for the annual event with its reunion-like feel. 'While we've experienced some significant changes in the last decade, like moving from our legacy space into our current location, I think our evolution is a bit more esoteric,' the executive said. 'The qualities 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. I don't know how they do it, but our designers and brands outdo themselves every year with the collections they showcase. As a result, our retailers have become even more invested and engaged with our brands and our attending media has grown even more enthusiastic about covering our event.'
Kicking off with an advanced preview of the show and an opening night event on Wednesday, Couture continues to highlight engaging topics affecting the industry with the Couturetalks series. 'We re-introduced Couturetalks in 2019 and they were very well received,' he said. Following the pandemic, it took them time to bring it back in full force, 'but we're doing that this year! We have moved the sessions from our breakfast and lunch areas into the Convention Center Lounge so that all badge-holders can attend.'
This year's lineup covers relevant topics like sourcing, traceability and IP strategies, juxtaposed with more lighthearted and engaging sessions like origins of design and retail therapy.
'We were very intentional in putting together this year's Couturetalks lineup. We have thought leadership sessions that cover relevant and top-of-mind subjects such as tariffs, technology in the retail space and transparency and traceability in diamonds and jewelry.' Other sessions 'that we know will have some great takeaways' include romance jewelry history at the retail level and trend forecasting.
Running concurrently to Couture, the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show will set up shop at the Wynn, with all Couture attendees having access. The show is an exclusive opportunity for sourcing antique, vintage and estate jewelry and timepieces from esteemed dealers hailing from across the globe, right in line with modern jewelry retailers that now include vintage one-of-a-kind pieces into their sales mix.
The strategically curated event features jewelry from titans of the industry such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Webb and Verdura, as well as unsigned, one-of-a-kind period pieces from the Georgian through retro eras. Visitors will also discover pre-owned and vintage watches from brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier and Audemars Piguet, allowing buyers to source difficult-to-find items from trusted, pre-owned luxury timepiece dealers.
The show comes at a time of economic uncertainty across the fine jewelry industry with ever-changing tariffs in the U.S. market and a downturn in spending for the luxury market. 'The best way we can support our community right now is by staying in constant communication, listen to their concerns and respond accordingly,' Brousseau said of the current climate. 'As an example, one of our Couturetalks sessions will cover the topic of tariffs with a focus on how our industry can protect themselves and stay compliant.
'Our designers and brands are the most innovative in the world, and I have no doubt that they will come up with unique ways to maintain the quality, beauty and value of their work while also ensuring its desirability.' Brousseau says he anticipates this year's show will see 'new materials, new ways of manipulating gold to create a big look without all of the weight, and I suspect we'll see more platinum incorporated into designs,' as ways to deal with material costs rising.
'Ultimately, the United States remains the strongest market in the world for fine jewelry. Even during times of economic or political strife, the category as a whole traditionally maintains its stronghold, whether for reasons of sentimentality or investment. People have been adorning themselves for millennia, and they will continue to do so,' he said.
The event culminates with design awards — open to all exhibitors — where attendees celebrate the best of the best of the show. The awards brings together a unique panel of judges that includes two retailers, two members of the press and one designer — all are announced on stage at the event. Attending retailers vote on the People's Choice Award, narrowing the category down to three contenders, with the winner decided by a live text-to-vote. The evening will also include the announcement of this year's Cindy Edelstein Award recipient, which is presented to a demonstrated leader in the Couture community who is dedicated to the success of brands and an inspiration to others through an enthusiastic attitude and unabated vitality.
'The judging process for our Design Awards is extremely rigorous. We put together a unique panel of judges each year who meticulously review all of the submissions before establishing the winners and finalists in each category. I think to receive that kind of recognition for a designer at any stage of their career can be extremely rewarding. We also get great press coverage of the event, from both attending media and publications that are not present at our event, and our designers and brands are great about promoting their own wins to their clients and followers,' he said. 'While we don't want to necessarily take credit for any one example, it has been exciting to see so many of the names rise to prominence globally.'
Brousseau said it is the designers, retailers and press that really make the show 'a distinctive and essential event. For many of our brands, Couture is the only show in which they participate each year, and they are not sending one of their representatives, it is the designers and company decision makers themselves that are in attendance. The majority of our retailers and press never 'leave campus' when they're in Las Vegas; they prefer to spend all of their time at Couture. It might seem like a small thing, but everyone genuinely likes one another! Designers support other designers and celebrate their successes, retailers share their ideas and best practices with each other, it's just a kinder, gentler part of the industry and it's an honor to be aligned with this community.'
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