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This Year, Couture Will Be Asking: WTF?!
The jewelry trade show wants exhibitors to submit images of designs gone wrong for a new award that is a “celebration of imperfection.”
The three entries so far for Couture’s inaugural “WTF?!” Award are this necklace from Stephen Webster (left), Katherine Jetter’s pendant (top right) and this 18-karat gold calculator from Deakin and Francis. See slideshow in story for more information on the inspiration, or lack thereof, behind each piece.
New York—Couture, the high-end jewelry trade show synonymous with the best in design, is on the lookout for the opposite.
Show organizers announced Monday the inaugural “WTF?! Award,” a “celebration of imperfection” for jewelry designs gone wrong or, as one might call it today, a #designfail or #designdisaster. (For those unsure of what “WTF” stands for, Urban Dictionary can provide an explanation.)
Submissions for the WTF?! Award opened last Thursday and are being accepted through May 15.
Those who want to enter are asked to submit a photo of a design disaster in any stage of production, as well as to complete this thought: “So what I was thinking was … ”
SEE: The Contenders for the “WTF?! Award” So Far
British cufflink maker Deakin and Francis said of this 18-karat gold calculator from the ‘80s: “It was made for a certain royal family, who decided they did not want an 18-karat gold calculator, and we don’t blame them. We also made 18-karat gold mobile phones, Walkmans and video cameras.”
Stephen Webster made this necklace 12 years ago. “It would be easy to blame it on mind-altering substance abuse. However, I fear I was in full control of my senses,” he wrote. “Despite throwing everything at this piece, including the kitchen sink, I still felt there was something missing. With hindsight I now realize that one missing ingredient was: the reason why.”
Designer Katherine Jetter wrote that the scale of this opal pendant is really its “winning feature.” “Clearly I wasn’t thinking anything useful at all when I designed this. I saw this super-cool opal cut like a shield and thought I should branch into the men’s sector; it was an obvious creative choice.”
Another view of Jetter’s opal pendant, this one better demonstrating its “winning feature”—the scale.
After May 15, online voting will open to the entire Couture community—meaning anyone who is registered for the jewelry trade show—and will remain open through May 29.
The so-called winner of the award will be announced at Couture’s opening night party, scheduled for Thursday, May 30 on the Sunset Terrace at Wynn Las Vegas. She or he will be presented with a medal befitting of the honor—think gaudy—and encouraged to wear it on the second day of the show.
The prize medallion will be passed onto the next winner of the WTF?! Award.
Couture Director and Emerald Expositions Senior Vice President Gannon Brousseau said the idea for the award came out of conversations with several veteran Couture designers at the Tucson gem shows earlier this year.
“We loved the idea and thought it was a great way to infuse some humor into our event, as well as highlight how the creative process, even among established designers, can have its ups and downs,” he said.
Couture 2019 is scheduled for Thursday, May 30 to Monday, June 3 at Wynn and Encore Las Vegas.
For more information about Couture, or to obtain press credentials, contact Michelle Orman at 646-302-5521 or email Michelle@LastWordComm.com.
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