WELL, WAIT. SWAROVSKI PRESENTED ITS MAGIC BRAND IN THE COUNTRY OF THE RISING SUN, OPENING THE FIRST BRAND BOUTIQUE IN GINZA. THE CONCEPT OF THE DECISION OF THE FACADE, DECORATED BY THREE TONS OF STUNNING CRYSTALS AND BLINKING WITH ITS SPARK, IS SIMPLY GRAND. SHE MAKES THE PASSENGERS STOPPING, AND IS ALWAYS LOOKING AT THIS GREATNESS.
Only a few lucky ones, mainly from among the media representatives of the Asia-Pacific region, including myself, as well as a handful of local celebrities, were able to cross the main entrance sparkling in the light of spotlights and get inside. We walked under a dome of thousands of steel prisms adorning a high vaulted entrance. Under the influence of a draft, the prisms swayed and reflected light, casting glare on the incoming people and showing them the very “brilliant” technique.
But the "brilliant" topic did not end there. The column of sparkling crystals at the entrance fascinates everyone. Crystals are everywhere. On the stairs leading upstairs, on a futuristic chandelier, illuminating the huge shelves on which masterpieces from the new Swarovski collections are on display. Beauty! You cannot say otherwise. Here, near the shelves, you can begin to make a list of all your wishes for the future. From a delightful assortment of new accessories, including pendants, necklaces, brooches, belts, many of which are adorned with the company's new logo, the so-called Swanflower ("Flower Swan"), to exquisite table crystal. There is something to see, and it’s just wonderful that all this sparkling crystal splendor was put on public display.
Japan is one of the main markets for Swarovski, and it is not surprising that this Austrian company, known for its unique products from high-quality crystal, has opened its own boutique in the heart of the gorgeous shopping and business district of Ginza.
EXCURSION TO HISTORY
This story began more than a century ago. In 1895, Daniel Swarovski, the son of a glassblower and inventor of a crystal cutting and cutting machine from Bohemia, founded his company in Watten, in the heart of the Austrian land of Tyrol.
The technology invented by him made it possible to produce crystal of exceptional quality, which is why he soon became a supplier of crystal products for major European luxury jewelry companies. Not intending to rest on his laurels, Daniel continued his pioneering and inventive activities. At the beginning of the 20th century, the leading Parisian couturiers Elsa Chiaparelli and Coco Chanel drew attention to him, and very soon other fashion houses, as well as designers, decorators, jewelers, began to turn to him for crystal products of various colors and shapes. He understood the emotional power of faceted crystal, especially pure crystal, which was made with incredible care and only by the most experienced craftsmen.
Today, Swarovski, continuing to be a family business, has become a leading player in the world of luxury goods, producing accessories, home decorative items, jewelry and fashionable clothes. Swarovski offers the market more than 120 thousand kinds of shapes, colors, sizes and cut styles of crystal. Over its more than a century of history, Swarovski has made his way from a small private crystal manufactory to royal palaces and houses of world celebrities. Since the launch of the jewelry line in 1977, jewelry with Swarovski crystals has taken its rightful place in the wardrobes of fashionistas from around the world. Today, more than 16 thousand people work in Swarovski offices and workshops in different countries, and the annual turnover is about 1.83 billion euros. And these are impressive figures for an independent family business, which is still driven by the descendants of the legendary Daniel Swarovski.
"SWAN-FLOWER" AND NEW DESIGN IDEAS
Swarovski House introduced two of its signature innovations in Japan. The first was the unique new symbol of the company - Swanflower ("Swan-flower") - a flower whose four petals are silhouettes of the famous Swarovski swan, which became the company logo in 1989. And this is no coincidence. Grace, strength, fidelity and femininity of a swan are sung in myths, legends and poems of different peoples of the world. A new symbol of the company appeared on all Swarovski products, imperceptible at first glance and yet clearly guessed and well recognizable. According to Natalie Colin Roblik, creative director of the company, the new symbol "is a star connecting the world of fashion, design and crystal dreams." Take a closer look at it.
The second innovation is the new design of Swarovski branded boutiques. Over the past ten years, the company has used the unique architectural concept of retail stores, which was completely identical in all 1,150 boutiques around the world. Today, thanks to the joint work with the Japanese "Designer of the Year" Tokujin Yoshioka, a completely new in appearance Ginza boutique was created, called the "Crystal Garden", which is a unique fusion of light and crystal. The designer created a soft atmosphere in the boutique through the use of indirect diffused lighting, which became part of the so-called "douche de lumiere" ("light shower"), "flowing" along the relief structures of the walls. He came up with a new design for the chandelier, which is a key element of each of Swarovski's boutiques. Installing an LCD screen, acrylic prisms and geometric "icicles" behind it, he allowed the chandelier to look like "music in motion."
CREATIVE ASPECT
Representatives of the press bombarded questions with Natalie Colin Roblik, who led the company's art department in 2006. Thanks to impressive results, including working with Peri Ellis and Mark Jacobs, she brought Swarovski's design portfolio to a whole new level. She noted that crystal in its magical incarnation can be used in thousands and millions of variations, and still its brilliance and beauty will not be enough.
The original use of crystal can bring sparkle and joy to someone's life. Crystal can work both in contrast and in combination with other materials: leather, fabric, wood, paper, glass and so on. That is how something unique is born. And the brilliance of crystal faces can always be emphasized by directional or diffused lighting. “I love crystal,” says Natalie. “Sometimes, when light falls on him, it seems like a miracle happened. I personally will never get bored of the play of light and shadow in its faces. To be honest, I'm just fascinated by the magic of crystal.” And then I got the opportunity to ask Natalie a few questions.
Who are the main customers of Swarovski?
Our customers are collectors, not only those who collect Swarovski figures, but also those who collect bags, hairpins, brooches. These are people with a certain mentality.
Can you determine who your target audience is: middle-aged people or youth?
Our customer base is so large that it does not fall under the standard marketing parameters for classifying customers. We sell hundreds of types of products, and each of them finds its owner and its fans.
What's new in your collections?
Many hairpins, hoops, and other hair accessories have appeared in Swarovski collections. We are constantly expanding the existing assortment, since today this type of product is at the peak of fashion. In our winter collection new leather and metal accessories were presented: handbags, business card holders, purses that fit in the palm of your hand. We are always looking for new approaches to products, which is why crystal pendants appear inside Swarovski collections, inside which flash cards and other original things are hidden.
You are not going to expand the existing assortment and organize the production of shoes, for example?
Shoeing is a completely different business. He has a very complicated logistics, especially with regard to the storage of goods. Therefore, we will not talk about shoes yet. But we have already begun to develop our own line of watches, and we plan to launch it on the markets next year. In addition, we pay great attention to jewelry for men, since in the Middle East region a lot of men wear them. And with pleasure. To date, we have a collection of cufflinks, which in the near future will be complemented by pendants, belts and other accessories. Thanking Natalie, I switched to another topic: love, spring and light.
LOVE AND LIGHT
Our press group in Japan was accompanied by Rasmus Olsson, head of the Swarovski Consumer Products Division in Dubai. He told us about Swarovski’s wedding collection and how important the company’s appearance was last year. The collection was then called “Love & Light” (“Love and Light”). Today, in its second year of existence, it continues to draw inspiration from eternal symbolism and presents a diverse range of wedding dresses decorated with Swarovski rhinestones, hair accessories, jewelry, cutlery and crockery, as well as decor elements.
"The classic white pearl has been modernized by us for this collection," said Rasmus. "After all, everyone knows that pearls symbolize femininity, purity and love, and in many countries of the world plays a leading role in wedding ceremonies." According to Rasmus, the star of the new Swarovski collection “Love & Light” this year was a wedding dress made of satin crepe, decorated with a scattering of crystals of various colors - from white opal to light blue. On the corsage are attached “crystal” roses of thousands of crystals, made by Lemari manually. In addition, the issue of acquiring beautiful and solemn wedding gifts remains relevant.
"Many people from the Crystal Living collection are eager to buy as wedding gifts. The most popular are photo frames studded with cascades of clear crystals and champagne glasses with small lenses sprinkled on their legs, giving them an absolutely charming look." Apparently the truth is said that where there is love, there is light. And the Far East is absolutely unimportant, where the sun rises, or the Near East, where it is lost behind the slopes of the dunes. We fly from Tokyo back to the Emirates. There, where many couples in love strive. After all, Dubai, according to Rasmus Ollson, is becoming an increasingly popular venue for weddings, which is why the Love & Light collection is one of the best sellers in this city. Well, advice and love. Under the Swan sign from Swarovski.
