Swarovski Just Levelled up, and We’re Here For It

Long within the realm of slightly kitschy jewellery and Christmas tree decorations, Swarovski has done a major U-turn and it's caught our attention.

Last year was a big one for Swarovski: Under the watchful eye of its first-ever global creative director, Giovanna Engelbert, the brand closed 750 stores, laid off around 6,000 employees, changed its logo, and completely revamped its image to become the Wonderlab of crystals.

Now, the brand, which has been around since 1895, has a new style. It's extremely luxurious in an utterly modern, futuristic way—and this is clearly the start of something big for the brand.

In February, ahead of the release of Engelbert’s debut collection, the label’s iconic swan logo was redesigned by branding agency General Idea, which has worked with other such luxe labels like Louis Vuitton. Now the swan is wrapped in a candy-shaped octagon, sharper, more concise, facing in a new direction—much like the brand itself.

And the logo's not the only thing that's changing.

The Wonderlab concept is a crystal world brought to life from Engelbert’s creative mind.

“The Wonderlab is where science and magic meet, where extra and elegance collide, it is a feeling of wonder that everyone should experience as we invite them into our new world at Swarovski,” said Engelbert.

Indeed, the freshly redesigned store concepts—only twenty-eight of them around the world, starting with Milan—welcome customers into a sensory experience. The retail space is a controlled explosion of colours, textures, metals, crystal morph suits, music and neon lights—a far cry from their traditional stores. Plus, they offer a crystal customisation clinic.

The Instagram-friendly retail spaces were designed with the help of Paris-based special events company, Villa Eugenie, and will offer customers live and digital activations, including virtual tours, previews of collection pieces and interactive lifestyle content, all designed to reflect the completely overhauled brand identity.

The campaign for Engelbert’s first launch is kind of a dystopic, steam-punk, outer space aesthetic, and you might recognise a few of the faces: Supermodel Adwoa Aboah, Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie, The Queen’s Gambit’s Isla Johnston and up-and-coming model Fadhi Mohamed are all on board.

As part of the launch, Swarovski has launched a brand new Instagram page that’s, quite frankly, visually stunning.

The collection itself is colourful, bold, modern, and ready to take on a new century and a new generation of clients. But if you look closely, you’ll spot a few of the classic Swarovski animal ornaments—some things never change.

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