Trends

Live from Couture: Meet the Design Atelier

TrendsAug 25, 2021

Live from Couture: Meet the Design Atelier

This year’s crop of up-and-coming designers is preternaturally polished.

20210825-8 Couture-vram.jpg
Vram returned to the Couture show’s Design Atelier this year. Pictured is the brand’s “Rotating Scarab Ring” in 18-karat yellow gold and sterling silver with 18.79 carats of purple sapphire as well as Paraiba tourmalines. It’s one of the new pieces debuting at the show.
Las Vegas—The Couture show’s section dedicated to emerging talent is a show-goer favorite. 

Any given year, the jewelry trade show’s opening day sees retailers scouting “Design Atelier” talent between years-established appointments for a glimpse of what’s next, not only for their stores and customers but also for jewelry design’s overall direction.

This year’s group of emerging designers is an especially good arbiter of what’s resonating in the saturated marketplace of new brands, having set themselves apart simply by being selected for the show. 

The 2021 class is particularly polished at that, with a host of good retailers already under their belts, good industry connections, and lots of branding know-how.

That they seek out the Couture show in an increasingly digital era speaks to the prestige of the jewelry trade show. The selectivity of its vetting process acts as an endorsement, and ambitious designers see it as an opportunity to level up and connect with the accounts that really matter to them. 

Click through the below gallery for a sampling of what these directional voices have to offer, from the everyday staples (Lizzie Mandler, Walters Faith) to the avant-garde (Vram), diamond-centric (Ondyn), and the colored gem-obsessed (M. Spalten, Dale Hernsdorf). Visit their websites for a more in-depth look. 

We’ll have more on these and other designers exhibiting at the Las Vegas jewelry trade shows in the coming days and weeks. 

Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.

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