Swarovski’s First Collection Under New Creative Director Is Crazy Beautiful

By Emili Vesilind | March 18, 2021

Swarovski, the iconic crystal and gemstone brand, has seen major changes in its leadership over the past year.

Nadja Swarovski, great-great-granddaughter of the company’s founder, longtime face of the company, and the driving force behind Atelier Swarovski, was sidelined in early 2020 (she’s still on the board and runs the charitable Swarovski Foundation). And a new CEO, Robert Buchbauer, was installed to head the family-run company, which had been operating as a series of separate businesses, with no overarching leadership, for years.

Another major development was the appointment of Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, a veteran editorial stylist and brand consultant, as Swarovski’s first company-wide creative director.

Many wondered if the Swarovski aesthetic would change. And now, having seen photos of the designer’s first full collection, we can attest that it has, and in exciting new ways.

With the aptly named Collection I, Engelbert has pushed Swarovski into more high-fashion realms—spaces filled with flamboyant color, grandeur, and good humor. If the name “Swarovski” conjures images of crystal mice and sailboats for you, your perception of the brand is due for some retooling. The jewelry in Collection I packs much more punch (if perhaps less mass appeal) than Swarovski’s perfectly pretty jewelry collections from the past few years. The vibe is fun—grandma’s grand jewels gone high-tech.

The first pieces from the collection dropped Feb. 21 on the brand’s website, but the bulk of the series, which features over 150 SKUs priced from $49 to $1,790, will come to market in April.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the collection; styles with prices and links are available for preorder now on Swarovski’s site: