Swarovski Announces The Cutting Edge Talents Who Will Form 15th Anniversary Collective

LONDON, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Swarovski is delighted to announce the 15 designers who will form the newly extended, year-long Swarovski Collective created to mark the program's 15th anniversary. This group of exceptional design talents, which includes both new and established names, will work in creative partnership with Swarovski for their Spring/Summer 2015 and Autumn/Winter 2015 collections.

Swarovski has enhanced the Swarovski Collective support program, which spans New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, by offering the designers year-long financial and crystal product support, plus the chance to win the €25,000 Swarovski Collective Prize for Innovation.

The 2015 Swarovski Collective sees the return of past members including Mary Katrantzou, Rodarte and Masha Ma, as well as debut seasons for Tim Coppens, Misha Nonoo, Marques Almeida, Ashley Williams, Iris Van Herpen, Damir Doma and Christian Wijnants.  Tim Coppens, who was recently recognized for his menswear with the CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear in June, will continue his exploration of women's wear with a SS15 women's collection that will mark the first time his women's wear is available for sale.

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, commented: "We are thrilled to celebrate 15 years of the Swarovski Collective by evolving our program to ensure our creative partners have the resources they require to experiment, innovate and reach their maximum potential in their craft. It is incredibly exciting to mark this special anniversary with an exceptional group of designers, and we look forward to seeing their spectacular crystal looks over the next two seasons."

Paulo Almeida of Marques Almeida said: "We've wanted to collaborate with Swarovski for a long time, so we're very excited to start working with the crystals and incorporating them in our Spring/Summer 2015 collection. We're amazed by the range of crystals and the technical possibilities we have, and can't wait to start creating the pieces that will be a focal element of our collection."

Tim Coppens said: Innovation has always been very important to design each collection.  I am really excited to implement the craftsmanship and incredible technical know that is part of Swarovski to add an extra dimension to the designs."

Misha Nonoo said: "I am deeply honored to be part of the Swarovski Collective, and I'm delighted to be working with the finest crystals available to design pieces using innovative technologies whilst maintaining the romance of my own collection."

Parisian newcomer Damir Doma added: "It was important for us to find a material that works with our aesthetics. We looked into stone sculptures and tried to capture this rich and beautiful texture by using Swarovski crystals. We're using the stones through our entire collection - on the shoes, dresses and also on the jackets and coats - in a very decorative way."

Founded in 1999 following Nadja Swarovski's collaboration with a young Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow, the Swarovski Collective encourages emerging and established designers to explore the creative boundaries of crystal use and craftsmanship.

Over the past 15 years, the Swarovski Collective has supported over 150 designers in producing some of their most avant-garde fashion looks. Previous participants include Alexander McQueen, Altuzarra, Proenza Schouler, Jason Wu, Wes Gordon, Rodarte, Alexander Wang, Hussein Chalayan, Viktor&Rolf, Christopher Kane, Erdem, Giles, Mary Katrantzou, Anthony Vaccarello and Maxime Simoens.

The Swarovski Collective will show their Spring/Summer 2015 collections during New York, London and Paris Fashion Weeks, which take place between 4 September and 1 October 2014.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140903/142523

SOURCE Swarovski North America