In Paris there is Place Vendôme and its famed jewelers. In Italy, Buccellati hails from Rome and Repossi from Torino. And in Austria there is Wattens. But in the Swarovski universe it’s less about carats but more about crystals and colors. The Austrian mega company, which is renown worldwide for its strass, has hired a new creative director and aptly picked an Italian. Former model, fashion editor and street style icon Giovanna Engelbert has created a new logo and corporate identity plus a few new sparkling jewelry lines. After all, only Italian women have the guts to accessorize heavily with jewelry. So her collections are very, let’s say bold. At Achtung, we have fond memories of Engelbert when she used to style the Michalsky show back in the Berlin fashion week hey days. Now she is working her magic for Swarovski from her new home, a tiny island off Stockholm where she lives with her husband and baby daughter. It’s been three years that Engelbert has been consulting for the company creating along the way the magnificent Book of Dreams. Basically a glamorous publication bringing together Engelbert’s favorite image makers on a journey into the worlds of art, beauty and craftsmanship with Swarovski crystals and replacing the somewhat corporate Salt magazine the company was putting out. We had a Zoom with Engelbert a few days ago to catch up.

Ring from the Dulcis line

Achtung: Why did you go all the way for a new Corporate Identity?

Giovanna Engelbert: I feel everything has to follow one vision and be unified. Swarovski is known for its iconic swan and we even gave it a face lift. It is now more pictorial with a longer neck encompassing its Wiener Werkstätte roots. The exaggerated neck feels right for now. I also look a lot at sketches of Daniel Swarovski for my new jewelry designs.

A: Whom did you work with? The usual suspects in Paris like M/M?

GE: No, I went with General Idea a brand agency in New York. I was impressed with the work they have done for Moncler.

A: What else is new?

GE: Basically this has become a full time job. We are also looking at updating the stores to what we call Instant Wonder places. We want them to be spaces where science and magic meet to experience the new Swarovski. After Milan and Paris, this will roll out globally.

A: What about the new campaign?

GE: We worked with Mikael Jansson whom I have always admired. It was about creating 14 different characters, 14 different archetypes of women who use the transformative power of jewelry to express themselves. It is based on portraits and individuality which is speaking of our times.

Title image: Swarovski’s new creative director Giovanna Engelbert.