Look Book

Spring 2026 | 33 Described by COUTURE Show Director and Executive Vice President of Emerald, Gannon Brousseau, as "the soul of the industry, the heartbeat of COUTURE," the award felt less like a personal milestone and more like a collective love letter from an industry she has so tirelessly helped shape. BELONGING @ COUTURE: EXPANDING ACCESS THROUGH COMMUNITY Launched in the summer of 2020, Belonging @ COUTURE is the initiative Orman speaks about with perhaps the greatest pride. e program was created to address the significant barriers to entry in fine jewelry, particularly for women and designers of color without generational access to the industry. e inaugural cohort welcomed a remarkable 13 designers. ough the energy was extraordinary, it quickly became clear that a smaller group would allow for deeper connection. Since then, the program has been refined to seven mentees—what Orman and team consider the sweet spot for building genuine community. Each mentee is paired one-on-one with a mentor and participates in biweekly expert sessions on pricing, branding, production, and finance. In their second year, they exhibit on the primary COUTURE show floor. Just as importantly, they form a peer network that lasts well beyond the program. "e goal is community," Orman says, "so no one is siloed." EDUCATION AND THE JOY OF JEWELRY What gives Orman her superpowers? She proudly views her years at Hunter College as life-changing, describing herself as "bullish on education." From overseeing COUTURE Talks to mentoring students from FIT and beyond, she believes knowledge is the industry's greatest source of empowerment— and she is deeply committed to paying it forward. In an industry where trends shi and technologies evolve, Michelle Orman remains a steady presence: an advocate, a connector, and a quiet force for progress. Her joy is unmistakable and contagious. rough her work across every facet of fine jewelry, she reinforces the power of community—the kind that supports individual success and elevates the industry as a whole. L-R: Jan Mohr, Elana Cutler, Michelle & Erin O'Donnell (Right) Michelle with designer Victor Velyan. (Below) Michelle and Elana Cutler.

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