SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS at Work
In a cutting-edge initiative from Swarovski, some of the most exciting names in the design world – including Konstantin Grcic, Nendo, Moroso and BD Barcelona Design – will be brought together during the Milan Furniture Fair 2010. The exhibition “SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS at Work” shows what happens when ten leading international designers are united with nine of the world’s best industrial design producers. The results will be on show exclusively at the Triennale in Milan from 14 to 19 April.
Swarovski has masterminded this unique series of partnerships between designers and manufacturers to discover unexpected ways to use SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS in industrial design. In “SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS at Work”, you will find crystals, objects of beauty in their own right, incorporated in furniture and products in unexpected ways to create innovative pieces that will go on to be commercially produced and retailed around the world.
Swarovski has matched the following industrial designers and manufacturers: KONSTANTIN GRCIC with ABET LAMINATI; NENDO, SEBASTIAN BERGNE and FRANCOIS AZAMBOURG with Gaia&Gino; DOSHI LEVIEN with MOROSO; TOMOKO AZUMI with lapalma; GITTA GSCHWENDTNER with Quinze & Milan; NERI&HU with both Meritalia and BD Barcelona Design and STUDIO PEI-ZHU with when objects work, FANNY ARONSEN for FANNYARONSEN.
During visits to the company headquarters in Wattens, Austria, designers and manufacturers alike were exposed to the most sophisticated new techniques and processes Swarovski has to offer. Products, from seating to accessories to wall treatments, will include SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS in groundbreaking and subtle combinations with a range of materials including leather, concrete and laminate, all integrated and developed to fit the brands production processes.
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS are the world’s finest loose cut crystals manufactured by Swarovski. Available in myriad colours, effects, shapes and sizes, these elements provide a fabulous palette of inspiration for designers in the worlds of fashion, jewellery, accessories and interior design. The “MADE WITH SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS” label serves as a guarantee of quality, authenticity and integrity.
In 2010 Swarovski Crystal Palace promises to present yet another exhilarating and inspiring series of commissions, demonstrating the creative potential of Swarovski crystal and the artistic expression of each designers’ work.
Swarovski Crystal Palace has commissioned five international designers to interpret the beauty of Swarovski crystal and incorporate their vision into a piece of design. Tokujin Yoshioka, Gwenaël Nicolas, Vincent van Duysen, Rogier van der Heide and Yves Béhar have each created strikingly different concepts. Swarovski Crystal Palace will take visitors on an experiential journey showcasing a ground-breaking exhibition at Via Tortona 32 in Milan from 13th – 19th April.
In 1895, Daniel Swarovski I, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly-invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewellery stones. From this beginning that revolutionised the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be the world’s leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion, jewellery and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the Swarovski group,still family-owned and run by 4th and 5th generation family members, has a global reach with some 24,800 employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2009 of 2.25 billion Euros. Swarovski comprises two major businesses, one producing and selling loose elements to the industry and the other creating design-driven finished products. Swarovski crystals have become an essential ingredient of international design. Since 1965 the company has also catered to the fine jewellery industry with precision-cut genuine and created gemstones. Showing the creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski’s own brand lines of accessories, jewellery and home décor itemsare sold through more than 1,800 retail outlets worldwide. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 350,000 members across the world, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in Wattens, Swarovski Kristallwelten, the multi-media crystal museum, was opened in 1995 as a celebration of Swarovski’s universe of innovation and inspiration. The Swarovski groupalso includes Tyrolit®, manufacturing grinding tools, Swareflex, for road safety reflectors and Swarovski Optik, producing precision optical instruments.
