Latest news with #Couture
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Couture Jewelry Show Names Eric Ford As Brand Director
Eric Ford, the new Couture jewelry show brand director The annual jewelry trade fair, Couture, has appointed retail industry veteran, Eric Ford, to the newly established role of brand director, effective immediately. In his new role, Ford will oversee the brand's day-to-day operations at Couture while also spearheading strategic enhancements that are designed to 'benefit the event and the Couture community,' the management at Couture said in a statement. Prior to accepting the position, Ford worked at luxury retailer, Neiman Marcus, for more than 30 years, most recently serving as precious jewelry buyer for all 36 stores of the retail chain. The statement says he earned a reputation for identifying talent and working closely with each brand to ensure the ongoing success of their businesses in the United States. Ford will report directly to Gannon Brousseau, executive vice president of the Luxury & Design Group at Emerald, a trade show and publishing company that owns and operates the Couture jewelry show. Ford already has a relationship with the upscale jewelry and timepiece trade show. He is member of the Couture Retailer Advisory Council, and he leads the initiative, 'Belonging at Couture,' a volunteer program that attempts to amplify the voices of a group of creatives who many believe have previously not received the recognition they many feel they deserve. The initiative helps foster the growth and professional development of rising star talent. 'I am thrilled to assume the new role of Couture brand director,' Ford said in the statement. 'Having the opportunity to work alongside a team of people with whom I already have great relationships is truly a unique honor. I'm looking forward to leveraging my decades of industry experience and the relationships that I've build over the years to work collaboratively to bring even more value to an industry and a community about which I've long been passionate.' Brousseau added, 'Eric's vast knowledge and understanding of fine jewelry coupled with the good will he's fostered throughout the industry will be a huge asset to Couture. Eric also has a long tenure serving on our Retailer Advisory Council, and he has been leading 'Belonging at Couture' since it was formed in 2020. These critical roles have allowed him to become intimately familiar with the inner workings of Couture while also forging strong relationships with key members of the team.' With Ford overseeing the ongoing operations of Couture, Gannon will concentrate on larger, strategic initiatives that will serve to strengthen and grow the brand, Emerald said in the statement. Elana Cutler, Couture brand manager, will report directly to Ford. Another previously announced organizational change includes the appointment of Kimberly Straub as Couture's new 'retailer liaison.' Straub is taking over the position following the retirement this summer of Jan Mohr, who has served as the brand's retailer liaison for more than 25 years. Couture is held annually at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. It is the most important trade fair in North America for the designer fine jewelry and luxury timepiece market. It is an invitation only event for jewelry retailers, jewelry designers and timepiece manufacturers. This year's event held June 4 – 8 attracted approximately 325 designer jewelry and timepiece exhibitors from North America and around the world.
Vogue
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Can Couture Be Modern? A Look at the Fall 2025 Season
Eighty years ago, in a groundbreaking exhibition, the curators at MoMA asked, 'Are Clothes Modern?' Reviewing the recent collections on Vogue Runway prompted another question: 'Is Couture Modern?' Based on what came down the runways in Paris this week, the answer is rarely, but it can be. This shouldn't be surprising—even in our fast-paced digital world, nostalgia is rife and society is trending conservative. Couture is an anachronism in 2025 precisely because it takes slow fashion to the furthest limits. Given that the métier is so associated with extremes—of cost, of craft, of fantasy—it produces a magnified view on ideals of femininity. Presented back in May, Maria Grazia Chiuri's final couture looks for Dior were balanced, with straight-lined silhouettes that alternatively conveyed strength and romanticism. This past week, women were either made from 'sugar and spice and everything nice' or they were cosplaying a horror movie. Then there were the moodboard characters come to life: Kim Kardashian channeling Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof or BUtterfield 8 at Balenciaga; models resembling Marie Antoinette at Elie Saab, or Nancy Cunard, arms stacked with bangles, at Schiaparelli. And how to explain the profusion of female characteristics, particularly breasts and hips, built up with padding on thin model bodies—Ozempic with benefits? Many of the silhouettes that appeared on the runways were as dramatic as the 'upholstered' figures on view at the Charles Frederick Worth retrospective at the Petit Palais. How today's couturiers achieved these padded effects has changed radically since Worth's time, of course, and it does seem that at least a few of them have something to say about the body modification that is possible in 2025 through medicine and technology. Viktor & Rolf, for example, showed pairs of dresses, one as-is and the other inflated with stuffing, in a sort of sartorial equivalent of adding fillers to skin. Similar contradictions were at play at Balenciaga where archetypal haute bourgeois types rubbed shoulders with body builders. Tailoring based on the extraordinary physiques of the latter looked deflated when worn on less beefy male figures. This was Demna's final collection for Balenciaga, where he is credited with elevating street elements to the hautest of métiers. Nowadays, the trends at couture mirror what's happening in the ready-to-wear collections, as well as on the menswear runways. Giorgio Armani's smokings for women looked smart and modern. There's that word again: modern. Iris van Herpen's living algae dress, which glowed with bioluminescence, is as forward-thinking as it gets.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
UFC great Randy Couture badly hurt and airlifted to hospital after NHRA practice crash
Randy Couture suffered serious burns and had to be air-lifted to a burn center on Wednesday after crashing during a hot rod practice. TMZ Sports broke the news earlier today suffered 'first and second-degree burns, trauma injuries, and smoke inhalation' after crashing an NHRA car during a practice run. The UFC legend has been working on making the jump to the racing circuit and planned to make his NHRA debut this year. That goal is likely in serious jeopardy. Advertisement 'The 62-year-old fighter, actor, and Army vet completely wrecked the car he was driving at the time of the incident … although it's unclear what caused it,' the outlet reported. 'He was rushed to a nearby burn center for treatment … where he remains at this time. Luckily, we're told he is expected to recover.' 'I've been a fan of racing for 12, 13 years,' Couture said on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show recently. 'From up in the stands, it looks really easy. Oh, they just go fast … it's so much more involved.' Couture has been training for months in preparation for his first pro race in the league. The National Hot Rod Association is the most popular drag racing league in the world. The cars can go as fast as 330 MPH. So the fact that MMA icon totaled his ride but should still fully recover seems like a miracle. Advertisement Related Headlines
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
UFC legend Randy Couture suffers serious burns and other injuries in racetrack crash
Randy Couture is expected to recover after suffering burns and other injuries when he crashed during a practice ride at a racetrack this week. (Gabe Ginsberg / Getty Images) Former UFC champion Randy Couture suffered severe burns and other injuries Tuesday when he crashed the car he was driving during practice rides at a racetrack near Kansas City, Mo. The 62-year-old retired fighter and former Army drill sergeant was airlifted to a burn center and remained there as of Wednesday morning. He is expected to recover. Advertisement Read more: Win over Chávez makes Jake Paul feel like a real fighter and not just a YouTuber "If you know anything about Randy — he's a freak of nature and will survive this like everything else," Couture's longtime manager and attorney Samuel Spira said in an email Wednesday afternoon. No further updates on Couture's condition will be issued until Thursday, Spira said. TMZ was the first to report about Couture's crash and his injuries, which include first- and second-degree burns, trauma injuries and smoke inhalation. The car he was driving was completely wrecked, TMZ reported, and it is unclear what caused the accident. Advertisement A state champion wrestler at Lynnwood High School in Washington state, Couture continued in the sport while in the Army in 1982-88 and at Oklahoma State, finishing second in the NCAA Division I championships in 1991 and 1992. He was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team three times (1988, 1992 and 1996) and a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Read more: Livvy Dunne tried to buy Babe Ruth's apartment. The building's co-op board said no Couture went on to become a mixed martial arts superstar, becoming a six-time UFC champion in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions and was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame in 2006. More recently, Couture has become involved with hot rod racing. Scag Racing announced in April that Couture would drive for the team in the NHRA's Pro Mod program starting later this year. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
UFC legend Randy Couture suffers serious burns and other injuries in racetrack crash
Former UFC champion Randy Couture suffered severe burns and other injuries Tuesday when he crashed the car he was driving during practice rides at a racetrack near Kansas City, Mo. The 62-year-old retired fighter and former Army drill sergeant was airlifted to a burn center and remained there as of Wednesday morning. He is expected to recover. 'If you know anything about Randy — he's a freak of nature and will survive this like everything else,' Couture's longtime manager and attorney Samuel Spira said in an email Wednesday afternoon. No further updates on Couture's condition will be issued until Thursday, Spira said. TMZ was the first to report about Couture's crash and his injuries, which include first- and second-degree burns, trauma injuries and smoke inhalation. The car he was driving was completely wrecked, TMZ reported, and it is unclear what caused the accident. A state champion wrestler at Lynnwood High School in Washington state, Couture continued in the sport while in the Army in 1982-88 and at Oklahoma State, finishing second in the NCAA Division I championships in 1991 and 1992. He was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team three times (1988, 1992 and 1996) and a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Couture went on to become a mixed martial arts superstar, becoming a six-time UFC champion in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions and was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame in 2006. More recently, Couture has become involved with hot rod racing. Scag Racing announced in April that Couture would drive for the team in the NHRA's Pro Mod program starting later this year.
