Swarovski is not just crystals, but also jewelry. And to make them known, it intends to export the market model developed in Italy. Because the sector “needs a new way of thinking,” explained Robert Buchbauer, one of the members of the executive committee of the Austrian giant, to the newspaper Repubblica. Here is the article by Micol Bozino Resmini.
“Extraordinary for every day, extraordinary for every day. This is the philosophy with which Swarovski is writing a new chapter in its history. After having changed the rules of the crystal sector by inventing new processing machines, new cuts, new shades and new sizes, the Wattens company is in fact operating its own revolution in jewelry: “Swarovski – explains Robert Buchbauer, member of the executive committee and CEO of the Consumer Goods Business division of the family company – is very well known for its crystals, but we want people to know that we make beautiful jewelry because in this sector we believe there is a lot of room for growth. One of the most common mistakes, for example, is to make people believe that these are products to be used only at special events and mainly in the evening, while in reality we have many pieces that are also very suitable for being worn during the day and this gives us a wide margin for expansion. We therefore wanted to convey this theme in our new advertising campaign, previewed in Sydney».
The woman chosen to embody this message is the Australian model Miranda Kerr, who, in front of Steven Meisel’s lens, interprets different looks, testifying to the modern versatility inherent in every woman, as well as in every jewel. «Modernity – specifies Nathalie Colin, creative director of the maison – lies in being able to capture the spirit of the times and understand which elements will represent the “signature” of a certain historical period in the future. For me, today, this translates into the ability to break the mold by offering things that are a little unexpected, but with a strong identity. I believe that Miranda Kerr perfectly represents the modern woman: she is international, she travels, she works and she is a mother. She is not a passive woman, but one who wants to play an active role and is not afraid to show it”. The women Swarovski addresses not only do not fear their individuality, but, at least in Italy, they break the historic taboo of self-purchasing jewelry. “We have managed to conquer Italian women – continues Buchbauer proudly – who have become our most important market in Europe. Perhaps they do not buy precious items, because in that case there is still the habit of having them given to them by their partner, but as far as fashion jewelry is concerned, things are different because this type of purchase is the expression of a personal taste, the opportunity to add a personal detail to one’s outfit. We have built this relationship based on the great notoriety and recognizability of the brand and now many women come into our stores to gratify themselves: the Italian market is a model for what we want to do in other markets too”.
It is therefore not surprising the importance given to the point of sale and the fact that one of the new openings concerns Milan, with a store in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. “The designer Tokujin Yoshioka – concludes Buchbauer – has updated our image and developed the concept of crystal forest with a restyling that has already affected 50/60% of our approximately 1,900 points of sale worldwide. In recent years we have worked both on new openings and on the expansion and improvement of existing stores. We have also worked a lot with our partners, especially in Italy where we have very loyal distributors with relationships that have lasted for many years. A distribution model, the Italian one, which has also been our point of reference for doing something similar in China”.
