Nadja Swarovski, holder of degrees in Art History, Foreign Languages and Latin American Studies, joined the Swarovski family firm in 1995 which was founded by her great-great-grandfather, Daniel Swarovski in 1895. What makes her loyal to her family’s heritage is her willingness to stay true to the brand’s values while making sure she adds a contemporary twist to its creations and keeps up with a modern woman’s needs.

Azyaamode had the opportunity to interview this wonderful woman in order to discover more about the company that is meeting great success in the modern design world, thanks to its creative and innovative vision.

What is the vision behind Swarovski?

Crystal is our business, and as a design-driven company we are constantly exploring the creative potential of our sparkling stones, both by collaborating with leading creatives and innovating with our master cutters. In addition to our heritage of quality and craftsmanship, innovation helps us stay ahead of the competition.

What makes Swarovski’s creations stand out in general?

With crystal as a creative ingredient, the possibilities are endless. We collaborate with the most cutting-edge and innovative designers across various industries to push the boundaries of creativity and craftsmanship. With our Atelier Swarovski jewelry collections in particular, it is so exciting to see how such talented designers reimagine our crystal. The results are always surprising and totally unique, such as Lanvin’s glamorous Art Deco-inspired collection for Spring-Summer 2017, which pays homage to the jazz age but with a contemporary twist.

Who is the Swarovski woman?
The Swarovski woman is stylish, empowered and passionate about innovative design.

What are the characteristics that set the tone for every design you create?

Atelier Swarovski is very much about statement jewelry with a luxury design aesthetic. All the visionary designers we work with challenge us technically and creatively, and that is what makes the design process so exciting. Next year marks 10 years of Atelier Swarovski, which will be a wonderful milestone to celebrate collaborating with such incredible talents as Christopher Kane, Zaha Hadid and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

You have collaborated with many renowned designers, including Peter Pilotto, Karl Lagerfeld and Jean-Paul Gaultier. What is next for Swarovski?

It is incredible to see how each designer expresses their own design aesthetic in crystal. Next season we are delighted to announce collaborations with Lanvin, with whom we have been working since the very beginnings of our company, Rosie Assoulin and Fiona Kotur.

What is the stand-out element in Swarovski’s creations for this season?   

We were so excited to work with Peter Pilotto again. Their ‘Arbol’ collection for Autumn/Winter 2016 perfectly combines timeless glamour with bold modernist statements. We also collaborated again with Jean-Paul Gaultier, one of our longstanding fashion partners. Gaultier revisited the bespoke ‘Kaputt’ crystals we developed with him for his Spring-Summer 2015 Haute Couture show to create a striking collection of jewelry called ‘Reverse’.

How do you describe the Arab woman?

The cultures of the region are so diverse, so I would not say that there is just one type of Arab woman. However, it is inspiring to see how creative and experimental the younger generations are.

You recently launched Atelier Swarovski Home at Milan Design Week 2016. Can you tell us more about this project?

Our new home décor range provides another amazing opportunity for us to work with our favorite creative minds in the design world, including Kim Thome, Fredrikson Stallard and Zaha Hadid. The collection has a strong focus on mixing crystal with other materials and making full use of our new technologies, such as crystal printing and the Wave Cut technique, used to cut curved lines in crystal for the first time for the magnificent crystal, and 24-karat gold-plated metal centerpiece designed by Hadid. The debut collection is both resplendent and avant-garde, and we are already looking forward to launching our second collection this year.

Visit the Photo Gallery to view some of the Atelier Swarovski creations.

Mirella Haddad