Swarovski's 125 Years: Store Values

To mark its 125th Anniversary, Swarovski is embracing the future of retail design with the Crystal Studio. This modern, interactive space was conceived by Studio Urquiola, with the first store opening in Milan in fall 2019. Providing customers with an immersive, social space to get creative with Swarovski crystal, the heart of each Crystal Studio is the Sparkle Bar: a jewelry station where customers can discover new products and style their own unique looks.

The store is a shopper’s delight, with a wireless phone charging station, variable lighting settings at mirrors, and personalized gift options. With Swarovski’s digital business expanding constantly, the Crystal Studio will also have an emphasis on digital sales, innovating among retailers at a time of rapid change. The new store concept has been rolled out in several locations, including Paris, Beijing and Shanghai.

Crystal Studio, Milan

The first Swarovski retail store was opened nearly forty years ago, in 1983 in London’s Mayfair. The Silver Crystal Suite on prestigious Old Bond Street sold crystal figurines.

"Innovation, creativity and the customer are at the core of this exciting new store concept. Before we started working on the aesthetics, we focused on functionality, with he ambition being to meet the digital demands of our consumers, while offering them a unique and immersive brand and shopping experience.", Robert Buchbauer, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board.

Crystal Studio, Milan

Within fifteen years, over 1,000 boutiques and concessions were bringing sparkle to high streets and shopping centers around the world, selling Swarovski crystal jewelry as well as figurines. When a new flagship was opened in 2009 in Ginza, Tokyo, it came with a strong visual aesthetic: 'Crystal Forest' by renowned Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, which took inspiration from nature and featured a dazzling stainless-steel façade. All Swarovski boutiques were then revamped according to Yoshioka's vision.

Two decades later, the number of Swarovski stores and concessions worldwide had tripled, and the first Atelier Swarovski boutiques were opened in Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London. These luxurious spaces launched with Penélope Cruz's Atelier Swarovski Fine Jewelry collection, showcasing exquisite pieces made with Swarovski Created Diamonds.

Crystal Studio, Milan

For Swarovski fans who want to make the ultimate pilgrimage, the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store in Wattens, Austria, is the place to go. Reopened in 2015 with a multimedia installation by Norwegian architects Snøhetta, the immersive store features “The Starry Mosaic Sky”, made from hand-finished black tiles and sparkling like a sky at night. More than 11 million visitors have walked through its doors. Meanwhile, at the flagship Kristallwelten store in Vienna, installations by world-renowned artists such as Rhea Thierstein and Iris Van Herpen showcase innovative uses of Swarovski crystal. 

The new Crystal Studio has come a long way from that first Mayfair store back in 1983. But, as design aesthetics evolve, the stores have never lost sight of the needs of the customer. Today’s stores keep one eye firmly on the future – prizing the innovation Swarovski has long been known for, while creating space for customers to experience Swarovski crystal in new and exciting ways.

Swarovski's first store, London