The NouvelleBox Paris SS27 showroom ran from 1 to 5 October at 40 Rue de Richelieu, and the feedback since has been remarkably consistent: this is a showroom that feels like a community. We asked the press hosts and a selection of designers to look back on the week. Their answers touch on press and buyers, collections seen up close, and the particular atmosphere of the rooms.

The press view

Press turnout was greater than before. Iris, who hosts the press day alongside Myrene, reports an even bigger turnout of top international press contacts this season and calls it "a resounding success."

She also passed on what was being said on the ground: that NouvelleBox is "truly the best show in town during PFW," the place where the finest curation sits and where buyers and journalists run into one another. The atmosphere, she says, feels like "a genuine community rather than just a competitive environment." Press contacts, she adds, love press day and the NB days as a chance to discover highly creative brands and find inspiration.

Community over competition

Asked to describe the atmosphere, designers reached for nearly the same words: professional, but warm.

Orman points to "professionalism without the formality," a poise that is hard to find in larger trade-show spaces, and a showroom that feels relaxed, lively and welcoming. The curation matters too: the brands have distinct identities but somehow complement one another, which makes for a more interesting experience for buyers and press alike.

Joanna Dahdah calls the atmosphere "warm, friendly, and intimate," with many designers returning year after year. It manages to be "extremely professional while still feeling almost like a family," she says, a camaraderie she does not always find at larger showrooms.

Lionheart describes "a community like no other," one that feels "less like a traditional showroom and more like being part of a family," and credits the NB team as "an absolute dream team."

Renato calls the atmosphere "friendly and jovial." The brand has been in the same room every season, which has built a bond and friendships with the other designers there and makes coming back "an easy pleasure": a chance to "hang while working," and a welcome difference from other shows.

For Wyldbox, that sense of support translates into results. Showing at NouvelleBox means leaving "a winner in so many ways": new stores, new connections and fresh inspiration, along with the chance to lift fellow designers up, especially those from the same home country. "I always leave with more than I came with."

Seen in person

Several designers said the best part of the weekend was watching their work meet people.

THIRTY1 named connecting with so many creatives, and seeing how each person interpreted and styled the brand in their own way, as a highlight. It is "always rewarding," they say, to see the pieces "take on a life of their own."

Lionheart had a similar moment when Serena wore the new Legacy Squash Blossom Necklace and styled it with her outfit. Seeing someone interpret a piece through their own style, Lionheart says, gives it an entirely new life.

For Orman, the in-person setting changed how the work was read. The Compass series and the coloured gemstone pieces from the Keepsake Collection are very three-dimensional, and people paid particular attention to the angles, shapes and volumes, details that do not always come across in photographs. Being based in Turkey, Orman also values the showroom for turning online relationships of several years into personal ones, and for speeding up new connections that might otherwise have taken much longer.

Renato singled out meeting Hazel Lika, whose warm energy made an impression, and someone the brand is not sure it would have met otherwise.

What brands brought

The week was also a launchpad for new work.

Le Sibille presented its Oracles of the Sea collection in Roman micromosaic. Francesca says NouvelleBox is increasingly the brand's point of reference at the start of the winter season, when buyers are looking for new moods and trends and beginning to picture Christmas and the months ahead. The response to the collection was "truly remarkable," and for her, jewellery became a starting point for conversations that go beyond aesthetics, about culture, philosophy and shared values. Beauty, she says, "knows no borders."

Orman previewed a new collection, Sensible, which was received even better than hoped. Several people commented that they had not seen anything quite like the designs, and the launch is now in progress.

Joanna Dahdah introduced her latest collection, of which she is particularly proud, to buyers from around the world, including some of the most prestigious retailers. Their genuine interest and enthusiasm, she says, was incredibly rewarding.

Renato had a hit with its letter rings. They are an offshoot of the brand's pendants and took a lot more work to develop than one might think, which made the response especially gratifying.

Lionheart is working on a Storybook Collection, inspired by the stories and characters of childhood. One piece features a very special character, a childhood hero whose identity is, for now, a secret.

The talks

On Saturday, the conversation moved to the future of the industry. Lionheart named the talk with Sally Morrison and Rachel Garrahan as the highlight of the weekend, in particular the discussion of natural versus lab-grown diamonds and how each is shaping what comes next.

"These are important discussions that deserve openness, honesty, and different perspectives," Lionheart says. The industry, in this view, needs more of them: continuing to educate consumers, and finding ways to preserve the artistry, craftsmanship, heritage and emotional value that make fine jewellery special.

Rachel Garrahan, who took part in the conversation, calls Sally Morrison "a jewellery legend" and says it was great to get her inside scoop on the shifts in the industry across her career, from working for Elizabeth Taylor to the red carpet at Miramax to her years at De Beers. Sally, she says, is brilliant at understanding what the consumer wants and how to communicate with them, and Rachel cannot wait to see what Sally does next.

Looking ahead

Across every reply, one word kept returning: community. Press found it, designers described it, and buyers, by all accounts, felt it. The next stop for NouvelleBox is JCK Luxury in Las Vegas in June 2027, followed by the next Paris season.