Press Centre
Supernature
Swarovski Collection Spring-Summer 2009
As the season of regeneration, spring heralds the return of nature at its colourful, luxurious best. It sweeps through the city, transforming rooftops into gardens, and creating rainbows of colour and bubbles of oxygen in the grey urbanity. This is the common thread of a trilogy entitled “Beyond Nature”, through which the natural world will reveal all its facets over the coming seasons, highlighting the world’s current ecological situation as well as Swarovski’s philosophy of environmental protection.
The first theme under this trilogy is titled “Super Nature” Spring-Summer 2009, and the heroine of this collection is both irrepressibly urban yet in harmony with nature. “She is a resolutely contemporary woman,” explains Nathalie Colin, Artistic Director at Swarovski. “Everything seems to bloom and come to life in her presence: her clothes are adorned with large floral patterns, her jewellery is inspired by all that is natural, and her apartment is characterised by organic design. She is a modern, enthusiastic woman, at once generous and sensual, who knows how to combine what is contrary, and to balance her urban world with her passion for nature. She considers nature to be a language in itself, and it is her greatest source of inspiration.”
Under the direction of Nathalie Colin, the Spring-Summer 2009 collection of jewellery, handbags and accessories follows the evolution of nature, and is rich in surprises and colours. Beginning with “Origin”, the genesis of a seed as it becomes a leaf then a flower, the collection moves on to “Foliage”, an expression of nature’s proliferation, combining branches and leafage, before concluding with “Utopic Flowers”, an explosion of fantastical, surrealist flowers.
“Origin”
“Genesis is the beginning of life. The potential, the invisible. The moment when nature hides itself, and readies itself,” as interpreted by Nathalie Colin. Cells come together in order to transform a seed into a flower. Nature awakens in an array of neutral tones, off-whites and smoky greys, punctuated by golden and silver metallic touches, as seen in the Silver Crystal Mesh “Glitz” bag.
The “Ginseng” bangle in ivory resin is studded with sparkling, multicoloured crystals, applied using Swarovski’s exclusive Pointiage® technique, and pairs elegantly with the “Granada” earrings, which resemble studded, multicoloured crystal seeds. The overstitched, metallic leather “Georgia” bag has a pattern that resembles the scales of a python or cells of a beehive.
“Foliage”
“The next stage in the transformation of what has developed from a seed into a leaf and then a plant is that of metamorphosis,” explains the designer. Irresistible, nature winds its way through the city, climbing up concrete walls and transforming the urban landscape. The city becomes a contemporary Eden, with a subtle palette of soft, deep, mint, grassy, and absinthe greens joining dashes of blacks and chlorophyll transparencies, enveloping the city like creepers, leafs and branches.
The “Gorgeous” pendant earrings in Deep Green crystal and the celebrated “Nirvana” ring, a Swarovski icon that has been reinterpreted for this season, each recall the proliferation of lush, dense vegetation. The “Grapes” long necklace is characterised by a multitude of small faceted seed-like crystals, as are its matching hoop earrings and bracelets. In its shorter version, the same necklace is adorned with a pendant in the simple form of a Red crystal pavé tree. An abacus of crystal seeds can also be found on the “Glamour” necklace and bracelet, each featuring a number of intertwined strands filled with opaque crystals in pearl shades.
“Utopic Flowers”
“Time has run its course, and the collection reaches full bloom. The colours call out and seduce, combining glamour, couture and excessive pigmentation. They form an amazing fusion with the accessories, acting like flowery, utopian creatures.” This imagery explodes with colours such as padparadscha, coral orange, and a myriad of pinks, fuchsias and violets. The “Garnet” ring features an enchanting flower with mysterious colours and an exceptional design; with its coloured enamel petals punctuated with sparkling crystal. Opening onto a pistil of seeds in multicoloured crystal, the design is also recreated on a necklace and large silver-plated hoop earrings. Another flower graces the “Glow” necklace as it blossoms on a large Aurora Borealis crystal pendant.
Extravagant and sensual, the “Gemma” clutch bag in fuchsia satin features an oversized faceted octagonal crystal on the flap.
Happily evoking the bright colours of nature, a host of other pavé crystal charms are also incorporated into the collection for a light, playful summer. “Erika” and “Elvis”, Swarovski’s famous crystal pavé robots, make a triumphant return in this collection, this time featuring delightful details from the natural world: a bright summer flower and a leaf.
From the first shoots of spring until full bloom, Swarovski has created a fairy-like, magical world of flowers and vegetation, with the company’s technology and expertise – its poetry of precision – bringing nature to life like never before.
