Couture Vegas Sees a Renewed Focus in Established Collections

At this year’s Couture show there was a positive and steadfast energy among attendees and exhibitors as they descended on Las Vegas. The global retail world at large might be grappling with a possible economic downturn, but showgoers spoke of a renewed focus in the fine-jewelry category and of a customer who is still very much shopping and looking for unique and special options. “The more we talk about recession the more scared we get,” explained Kwiat chief executive officer Greg Kwiat. “Around December there was a tremendous discussion about the coming recession, but that doesn’t seem to have played out. Business has remained strong, particularly in the United States,” he reported. “In the business-to-business sector, I think the confidence is there,” added Pomellato ceo of the Americas Nathalie Diamantis. “But people are very clear about having strong collections. Retailers want brands that bring added value and that differentiate themselves.” The executive underscores what was a major narrative at this year’s show — many exhibitors chose to round out collections by elevating with new iterations of pieces the consumer is familiar with, although that is not to say there wasn’t overall newness. Many brands brought out their big guns, showing one-of-a-kind pieces alongside

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More...

from WWDWWD http://bit.ly/2XvPqmZ