Nadja Swarovski

Nadja Swarovski was the first female member of the Executive Board of Swarovski, which was founded in Austria by her great-great-grandfather Daniel Swarovski in 1895. She led the Branding, Sustainability and Licensing divisions and launched the luxury brands in fashion jewellery - Atelier Swarovski and in lighting - Swarovski Crystal Palace.

Her career in the family business started in 1995 in New York, Hong Kong and London, with a focus to showcase Swarovski’s crystal components to the industries of the fashion, jewelry, architecture, lighting and design, encouraging designers to discover crystal’s creative potential. The resulting 500+ global collaborations and partnerships established her as one of the 21st century’s most significant patrons of design talent.

In fashion Nadja launched the Swarovski Collective in 1999 and in jewellery the Runway Rocks Collection in 2003 – initiatives which supported and celebrated emerging and established designers including Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, Hussein Chalayan, GILES, Rodarte, Erdem, Alexander Wang, Marios Schwab, Jason Wu, Mary Katrantzou, Kevin Germanier and Stephen Webster, encouraging the implementation of crystal in an innovative way.

In design and architecture, Nadja launched Swarovski Crystal Palace in 2002, a visionary program that pushed the boundaries of lighting and design, and “re-invented” the chandelier through creative collaborations with designers such as Zaha Hadid, Ron Arad, John Pawson, Tom Dixon, Ross Lovegrove, Tokujin Yoshioka, Tord Boontje, Arik Levy, Yves Béhar and Gaetano Pesce.

Besides supporting UCLA’s costume design department and working with numerous costume and set designers, Nadja worked with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles on the creation of the crystal encrusted Oscar curtains for 11 years. In 2012 she worked with the Bourellec Brothers on the first permanent contemporary installation, the Gabrielle Chandelier, at the Palace de Versailles, followed by the collaboration with the brothers to reimagine the 6 fountains at the Champs Elysees in 2019. In 2018 she collaborated with architect Daniel Libeskind to create the crystal star for the Rockefellers Christmas tree, which has been seen in the years to follow.

In 2007 Nadja launched Atelier Swarovski, an haute couture jewelry, accessories and home décor line celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, material- and technological innovation. Among the many collaborators were Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christopher Kane and Viktor & Rolf. Committed to driving positive change within the industry, she launched Atelier Swarovski Fine Jewelry in 2017, a collaboration with the actress Penélope Cruz, who designed the collections implementing created diamonds, created gemstones and Fairtrade gold. The line embodied what Nadja terms Conscious Luxury – a new way of doing business that puts compassion and sustainability at its heart.

Based in London, Nadja was Chair of the Swarovski Foundation, a UK charity she founded in 2013 focused on supporting creativity, promoting human empowerment and preserving the environment. Its latest initiative, Creatives For Our Future, aimed to help identify and accelerate the next generation of creative leaders. Devised with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the program empowered young creatives to design new solutions to global sustainability challenges. Nadja also headed up the Swarovski Waterschool, which teaches young people about water conservation. Both philanthropic organizations are focused on the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, positively impacting people and planet.

In 2016 Nadja was made a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Republic of France. In London in 2019 she received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London and was granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Nadja is President of the German Fashion Council and holds Board-level positions at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the FIT Foundation. She is a Founding Patron of the London School of Architecture, a member of The Nature Conservancy’s European Council for Global Conservation, a member of the Advisory Board at luxury ethical fashion business Maison de Mode, and at Nest, a NGO that supports women in the handworker economy.

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