CEO Alexis Nasard On What Makes Swarovski A Fun Empire
“Joyful jewellery”, sustainable Created Diamonds, and cool collabs — these are the things that Swarovski CEO Alexis Nasard says the brand will stay firmly focused on
Walking around Swarovski’s vibrant new concept stores, one immediately notices the octagon-shaped displays and trays — to the brand, the shape is not just a nod to a faceted crystal, it represents rebirth. Nine months ago, Swarovski named Alexis Nasard CEO of the company —he is the first chief executive officer to come from outside the Swarovski family in the brand’s almost 130-year history. And while the iconic crystal brand is expanding with its Created Diamonds, ceramic products, and fashion-savvy collaborations, Nasard says that at Swarovski’s glittering crystal heart is its “joyful extravagance”.
Hi Alexis, welcome to Singapore! You’re notably the first CEO of Swarovski to come from outside the family. How will you be steering the company into its next phase?
As a CEO running a great brand in the luxury world, I am a custodian of the brand, and I am at the service of the brand. The brand itself is the most important. I believe in it being a fit and sustainable company, and in building on the heritage of Swarovski. The assets of Swarovski are its creativity, innovation and savoir-faire — I particularly like this word as it represents both the knowledge and the “doing”. We have been proudly made in Austria for almost 130 years, and it is about reconciling the past and the future. Swarovski’s product is one of joy, self-expression and self-indulgence. We position ourselves as joyful extravagance through our product, and our new store concepts present our stores as a bit of a candy shop, with joyful jewellery that creates curiosity. We want to be culturally relevant in big cities, including Singapore, which is a window for Asia.
In terms of visuals and store design, Swarovski saw a rebranding slightly over two years ago. Would you describe the rebranding as being in line with your vision of the brand?
I am not at all interested in leaving personal marks. It is about what’s great about the company, and making it a company fit to strive. There has been a lot of good work before my time at the company, and Swarovski is great at experimenting and creativity. We have made decisive moves such as presenting a new store concept, and having our Created Diamonds, which were first launched in 2016, as a focus in the US market. Every store in the US has Swarovski Created Diamonds.
When it comes to product, Swarovski has quite a varied offering — jewellery, lifestyle products, and the Created Diamonds that you’ve mentioned. What is the unifying factor that makes something uniquely Swarovski?
We define our collections as low, mid or high complications, with high complications including an intricate, high jewellery standard of products. The common denominator would be the element of joyful extravagance — the products make you smile and make you want to try them on. That would be the design fundamental. And in terms of technical savoir-faire, our attention to detail is well above.
Are there consumer trends that are influencing Swarovski now?
We follow the triangle of creative inspiration, commerciality and cultural relevance. We don’t follow trends, but we make trends to inspire as a leading brand. We are more inspired by cultural trends, and some examples include the genderless trend, and the trend of inclusivity and cohabitation of forms and designs. Of course, we are a business, so there is commerciality in the products.
Jewellery is often considered difficult to purchase online. How important is the online channel for Swarovski?
We have a split of 80:20, like most luxury companies. We do not have the pretense to shift one way or another, and want to offer an inspiring experience both online and offline — we will be there for her wherever she chooses to shop. And we are relaxed about where the shift may go. Many brands have now raised their offline experience, in terms of designs, curation and service — we are proud in this area as our sales associates are very experienced and knowledgeable, and we have invested a lot in training.
Over the years, there has been diversification of product lines with offerings such as Created Diamonds and even ceramics. How important are these lines that go beyond the core offering?
For diversity, there are two main categories. The first is the area in which we are confident of their potential. For example, we are very convinced that Created Diamonds have great potential in the US — this group of products is most recognised in the US and makes up 10 per cent of our sales. The second group is one in which we experiment, and this includes the ceramics with Rosenthal. This year, we will also experiment with NFTs and see the response.
Collaborations have always been a part of Swarovski. How important are these to Swarovski today, and what sort of tie-ups will we see in the future?
Our collaborations have indeed been around for a very long time. They don’t just play a business role, as much as they make up 12 per cent of the brand, we seem them as more of a strategic importance. Taking our collaboration with Aquazzura for example, we want to nurture our brand’s image while Aquazzura in turn nurtures its brand equity. This is why we normally work with brands that have a comparative standing in brand image — we work with reputable brands such that we can learn from them, and so that they can learn from us.
