Austrian brand
Swarovski was founded in 1895 in Austria by Daniel Swarovski. It is the world's leading crystal manufacturer, providing fashion, jewelry and The chandelier and other industries offer large quantities of high-quality cut crystal stones. Today, the Swarovski Group has more than 14,200 employees worldwide and has more than 400 Swarovski Crystal Pavilions around the world, including nearly 30 in Shanghai. In 2007, the The group's turnover is as high as 1.61 billion euros, and its performance is the best among its peers in the world. Silvateam is known for its cutting technology. The jewelry at Swarovski counters are expensive, so they are classified as luxury goods. Identification method: Only for Swarovski counters, semi-finished products are not packaged or certified.
In 1989, a number of high-quality products were launched, called the Daniel Swarovski series, created by internationally renowned designers, including fashion accessories and crystal furnishings, further enhancing the company's reputation. Top international designers and Swarovski also hold crystal in high esteem, and its unique pure beauty is enough to arouse emotions and thoughts. Their designs further leverage the traditional nobility of crystal, blending high technology and creativity to create a series of unique furnishings and practical accessories. Since then, new products and inventions have been launched. The Swarovski Jewelry Collection relies on the perfect combination of unique crystal design and superb production skills. It continues to add fashionable designs and is sold in famous stores in various countries.
Crystal World
Interior of Swarovski Crystal World
This giant is exactly what the crystal brand Swarovski built on the mountain in 1995 on the occasion of its centenary anniversary. "Swarovski Crystal Worlds". Walking in from the giant's mouth, visitors' eyes immediately become enlightened. In the 20,000-square-foot visitor center, there are seven underground exhibition halls with different themes. Those crystal works designed by famous masters are certainly dazzling, but visitors often marvel at the world's largest crystal weighing 135 pounds, or linger at the crystal curtain wall made of 12 tons of colored crystals. . But when curious tourists ask to visit the crystal factory not far away, they will be politely refused by the staff. They will tell you that the Swarovski crystal production process is a trade secret and is not open to outsiders. Indeed, although Swarovski generously displays the world's most dazzling crystal products to people, behind this brand lies hidden secrets of crystals that have been carefully preserved for more than a hundred years.
Development History
The early days of Swarovski's development, that is, the first half of the 20th century, coincided with an era of frequent wars and economic turmoil, but Daniel has always been good at adversity. Looking for a new path, the unknown town of Wattens has also become a Feng Shui treasure place for Daniel's career to take off. It not only helped open up the market for Swarovski's crystal products, but also inspired a steady stream of innovative inspiration. At the beginning of the 20th century, Daniel's three sons, William, Friedrich and Alfred, began to participate in their father's manufacturing business. Daniel began experimenting with artificial crystal in 1908. They built a specially built laboratory next to Wattens' villa and spent three years designing and making the melting furnace. In 1913, Swarovski began mass-producing its own flawless artificial crystal stones. These crystal and gemstone products soon became enthusiastically sought after by the market. With the outbreak of World War I, Swarovski was in a dilemma of lacking mechanical equipment and raw materials. After two years of research and development, Daniel launched an automatic grinding machine in 1917 to process crystal products. In 1919, Daniel gave this kind of The machine is patented. In the 1920s, dresses decorated with pearls and crystals became popular in the European and American fashion circles. Seeing the emerging market demand, Daniel invented a stone belt that was very popular in the fashion industry in 1931. It was studded with beautiful broken crystals and could be sewn directly on clothes or shoes. Swarovski crystals have become a hot commodity, finding favor among top fashion brands such as Chanel, Gucci and Dior, as well as film companies and many Hollywood stars.
Production line extension
Since then, the company's product line has continued to extend to every corner that can be decorated with crystal.
Today, tourists only need to take a tour of Wattens' "Swarovski Crystal World" to understand how close these products are to people's lives. In addition to the crystal decorations on fashion, shoes, hats, watches, and jewelry coming from Swarovski, when customers walk into a store selling outdoor sports goods to buy binoculars for hunting and bird watching, the brand of the binoculars is likely to be "Swarovski Optik" , which originated from the creation of Daniel's eldest son William in 1935. The Metropolitan Theater in New York, the Palace of Versailles in Paris, and even the crystal chandeliers in the Great Hall of the People are all "STRASS" produced by Swarovski.
In 1976, Wattens achieved another leap in the history of Swarovski. The Winter Olympics that year were held in Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, and Swarovski designer Max Schreck also accidentally made a crystal mouse by piecing together fragments of crystal lamp parts. It was the first crystal product introduced to the market in the company's history and immediately became a best-selling souvenir from the Winter Olympics. Inspired by this, Swarovski launched a series of "silver crystal" ornaments with themes of small animals, flowers and plants. In 1987, the company established the "Swarovski Collectors Club". So far, the collectors club has 450,000 members in more than 30 countries around the world. The "Silver Crystal" series has become Swarovski's signature product.
It’s no wonder that during his visit to China, Marcos, the fifth generation successor of Swarovski, was asked whether he would use China’s labor advantages to build factories in China like many large companies in the world. Si smiled: "For more than a hundred years, the water and soil of Wattens have created the Swarovski brand. We will only continue to write this myth on the land of Wattens." And Wattens is also because of Swarovski's It has grown from an unknown town into one of the most famous industrial areas in Austria. One-third of the town's residents are employees of the company, while more than 80% of the remaining people are engaged in Swarovski-related tourism, catering and service industries.
Family quarrel
Daniel Swarovski passed away in 1956 at the age of 94. He left behind an extremely large family. As of 2010, the Swarovski family has more than 150 members, 28 of whom are engaged in senior management within the company, and 6 people constitute the company's top decision-making and management.
Nadya, who studied in the United States and worked in sales and distribution in Hong Kong after graduation, advocates the former. She found that the Swarovski brand has completely different meanings in the European and American markets: In Europe and Asia, Swarovski crystals are regarded as elegant gifts; while in the United States, people buy animal-shaped crystal ornaments in bulk. When people hear Nadya’s surname, the most typical reaction is: “Swarovski, are you talking about those animals?” This makes Nadya very frustrated: “I appreciate animal-shaped crystals, but I don’t want to be equated with them. ”
Repositioning
Nadya began to reposition and enhance Swarovski’s brand image. Her first move was to open the first Swarovski store in New York in 1998. Shiqi Creative Service Center, as an exhibition hall for crystal products, hires fashion consultants to guide Wattens' crystal cutting craftsmen. That year, Swarovski's North American sales surged from US$1.4 million to US$13 million. Since 1999, six centers have been opened in London, Dubai, Paris, Milan, New Delhi and Sao Paulo. She collaborated with European fashion design masters to launch crystal necklaces worth US$3,000 or handbags studded with broken crystals to cater to the luxury market. The new products became popular in fashion capitals such as Milan and New York.
However, this attempt was questioned by other members of the family. Nadya’s cousin Cohen believed: “Luxury goods are important, but what really brings benefits to the company are daily handicrafts. We plan to move towards This direction repositions the brand." He represents the views of the older generation members of the family, and those on the same side as him include the highly respected Gernot and Gernot's son Marcos.
In 1986, Gernot advocated the acquisition of a high-end jewelry store called Zale, hoping to sell crystal products there. As a result, it ended up bankrupt after a huge loss of US$1 billion. Gernot has always taken this lesson to heart. It is said that the relationship between Marcos and Nadya got to the point where they stopped talking to each other. Nadya complained privately: "I have worked hard for the company, but I have always felt like an outsider."
Setting up specialty stores and counters in department stores is still the main marketing channel for Swarovski crystals, and Not good news for Nadya - the windows are still filled with animal ornaments. As the family grows, disagreements among family members are an unavoidable fate for almost every family business. 11 years ago, Swarovski chose the swan as the company's logo because in Greek, Roman, Indian and German mythology, the swan symbolizes purity, strength and sanctity. But for this family-owned company with an annual turnover of US$2 billion to truly soar freely in the northern sky like a swan, the fifth-generation family members must make a better choice between ensuring the continuity and development of the brand and insisting on bold innovation. Good balance.
Development History
In 1892, 29-year-old Daniel Swarovski invented the first cutting machine, which greatly improved the speed, accuracy and quality of crystal cutting.
In 1913, Daniel Swarovski and his three sons Wilhelm, Friedrich and Alfred established a crystal manufacturing factory to manufacture pure quality raw crystal materials. Swarovski's success today also depends on its strict requirements for quality.
In 1931, Swarovski registered its stone belt products. These stone belts include a variety of strips and laces with crystal stones, which can be used for clothing and accessories.
In 1948, Swarovski established the Optical Instrument Department. Under the name HABICHT, it launched precision optical instruments including monocular telescopes and sights, and quickly became a major supplier in the international market.
In 1956, Swarovski used a unique vacuum coating to create crystal jewelry stones with a "phantom" effect.
In 1960, Swarovski established its first sales office in Germany. Swarovski has established 40 sales offices around the world to distribute its products to all parts of the world.
In 1965, Swarovski launched the sparkling STRASS crystal chandelier pendants. The crystal chandeliers of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and the Palace of Versailles in Paris all used Swarovski crystal chandelier pendants.
In 1976, Swarovski’s success story began with a cute crystal mouse. Since then, other lifelike animal sculptures have followed. Currently, this series has more than 120 gifts and collectibles.
In 1977, Swarovski launched its first jewelry series (Swarovski Jewelery Collection). Today, the products include the highest quality fashion creations and classic crystal jewelry designs, with new products launched twice a year.
In 1987, the Swarovski Collectors Association was established to provide exclusive services and a forum for crystal enthusiasts to communicate. As of 2009, the number of members has exceeded 430,000, and they will receive 4 issues of "Swarovski Magazine" published every year.
In 1991, the "Jewels of Fantasy - 20th Century Costume Jewelery" traveling exhibition organized and sponsored by Swarovski kicked off. To date, the exhibition has been held in more than 20 venues.
In 1995, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Swarovski, the Swarovski Crystal World in Wattens was unveiled in October. This underground museum is shaped like a green giant and covers an area of ??more than 2,000 square meters. meters, you can thoroughly experience the strange crystal world. So far, more than 4.5 million people have come to experience the charm of crystal.
In 2001, Swarovski provided new design concepts for bathroom decoration, including sparkling crystal components that could be matched with each other. The colorful "Crystal Bathroom Total Touch" is inspired by the dazzling light of Swarovski crystals and is the perfect reflection of a feeling of purity and harmony.
Since its launch in 2002, the Crystal Palace series curated by Nadya Swarovski has shown, demonstrated and demonstrated how to reinterpret traditional chandeliers in stunning ways.
In 2007, Swarovski cooperated with electronics giant Philips to produce the "Active-Crystals" electronic product series. Products in this series include USB memory cards and earplugs. These products are decorated with Swarovski crystals.
The swan crystal logo is the traditional symbol of Swarovski (Swarovski) and a symbol of the exquisite and elegant spirit of Swarovski (Swarovski) crystal.
1892: A revolutionary crystal cutting machine whose cutting accuracy was far superior to the manual cutting technology of the time.
1895: Swarovski founded the company in Wattens, Tyrol, with the vision of bringing joy to people through crystal. The company has strictly adhered to its principle - continuous improvement.
1931: Launch of hand-stitched crystal stone accessory straps, creating a new realm of design for fashion and accessory manufacturers.
1956: Swarovski collaborates with Christian Dior to develop the "Aurora Borealis" effect, which adds phantom glamor to the shimmering light of cut crystal.
1976: The first decorative crystal statue was launched, which was deeply loved by consumers. Swarovski began to machine-cut and synthesize cubic zirconia.
1977: Swarovski launches its first jewelry collection. Today's Swarovski premium product range includes jewelry, accessories and crystal ornaments.
1987: The Swarovski Crystal Society (Swarovski Crystal Society) for loyal collectors was officially established. So far, it has approximately 325,000 members in 120 countries around the world.
1995: Swarovski Kristallwelten opens in Wattens, Austria. To date, more than nine million people have visited Crystal World’s fantasy exhibition rooms and experienced the magical charm of crystal.
2002: Crystal chandelier becomes an art form: Ron Arad and Tord Boontie as part of the Crystal Palace Collection and other famous designers give traditional chandeliers a new interpretation. Every year Swarovski invites well-known artists to create new and cutting-edge designs.
2009: Swarovski launches its first watch collection at Baselworld.
On July 22, 2016, SWAROVSKI and RELLECIGA*** of France co-sponsored the European LookBella beauty pageant for the first time.
Brand Culture Jewelry is material, Swarovski is spiritual.