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Crystal cheer
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It was a glittering extravaganza as Swarovski pulled out all stops to launch its first-ever flagship store in Tokyo
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BLING THINGS Swarovski sparklers for Japan’s fashion hub, Ginza
It was sushi, cheese, champagne and chocolates at Swarovski’s glittering fashion show organised at Seitoku Kinen Kaigakan — the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery at Tokyo, (formerly Emperor Meiji’s funeral site). It was expensive spark
le everywhere from crystal tableware to fashion accessories of models as they walked the ramp, showing off the company’s exclusive, haute couture collection. A nice touch was an exhibition tracing the history and evolution of Swarovski craftsmanship from the 19th century.
A fashion icon
Styles favoured by fashion icons then and now were displayed with personal notes of appreciation and gratitude to the various members of the Swarovski family from Hollywood stars who had sported the crystals on the red carpet and elsewhere. They included thank you notes from the likes of Madonna, Courtney Cox and Meryl Streep.
The launch of Swarovski’s flagship store earlier in the evening was pretty ‘red carpet’ too. It was a sparkling event, quite literally, as thousands of steel prisms making up the façade of the store, glinted, shone, reflected and bedazzled onlookers as they witnessed the launch of Swarovski Ginza, the first flagship store of Swarovski, the world’s leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion jewellery, lighting, architecture and interiors.
The store in Tokyo’s fashion hub, Ginza, opened ceremoniously with members of the Swarovski family, the who’s who of Tokyo, fashion celebrities, the media and champagne in attendance. The inside was spectacular with crystal-embedded floors, ethereal crystal chandeliers, and the store’s two levels connected by a crystal staircase!
The architecture
Tokujin Yoshioka (winner of the Designer of the Year Award), the architect of the store, worked around the theme of a ‘crystal forest’ and had installed a crystal waterfall and ice-branches, all lit up with state-of-the-art lighting and LED displays.
A range of jewellery exclusively created for the Ginza store were on display as was the Daniel Swarovski collection offering couture jewellery, handbags and custom-made crystal apparel. Stylish sofas, luxuriously upholstered, added the special touch for Swarovski shoppers. Exquisitely crafted crystal collectibles were displayed too in the free standing and wall mounted showcases. Over three tonnes of crystal has been used to create the ‘crystal palace’. The launch coincided with the introduction of the company’s new signature, the “Swanflower” which is an evolution of Swarovski’s instantly recognisable emblem, the elegant and graceful swan.
It was created by Nathalie Colin Roblique, the company’s creative director. The new motif is made up of four swans of different sizes, which together looks like a flower. Explaining the motif, Roblique says, “The design will act as a common thread linking all our collections and the two keys values of Swarovski: poetry and precision.” The Swanflower will figure in the new collection of Swarovski accessories.
PANKAJA SRINIVASAN
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