Crystal gazing

R emember the time when the word Swarovski meant only one thing to most people: crystal animals? For some it still does. But it’s a measure of the inroads made by this brand on the world of fashion and, to an extent, homewares, that Swarovski today is an altogether broader church.

Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas now regularly uses Swarovski to decorate its wares and the Austrian company’s products adorn countless sparkly tops and bottoms in fashion’s demimonde. And these are not isolated examples - this is a global concern that touches almost every market, with the UK being just one of its outposts.

Nevertheless, a number of the firm’s big guns were out in force last week to celebrate the opening of an Oxford Street flagship.

Situated mid-way along the thoroughfare, this new store is housed in what used to be a branch of Next and, at £4,500 per sq m as a fit-out cost before the show-off Swarovski elements were included, it has not been a cheap option.

But then it shouldn’t be. Walk into this store and you are faced with an almost bewildering array of choice. The entry price is provided by a range of small charms at £13.

From there the shopper heads on up to a top-priced bling watch, on sale at £1,050, which might put you in mind of the kind of thing worn by minor starlets on the Croisette in Cannes or perhaps a member of Essex royalty.

A blinding offer

Enough of the received prejudice, however. This is one of 56 standalone stores from which Swarovski trades in the UK and there are a further 31 in-store concessions, as well as numerous stockists, and virtually every major department store has elements of the range somewhere. The point about this flagship is that pretty much the full offer is on display, according to marketing manager Tanja Tuerk. And yes, there are plenty of crystal animals.

Standing outside the store, it is quite easy to trace its design heritage from down the road and around the corner in Regent Street. Close to three years ago, Swarovski gave its store on the western side of that street a makeover, courtesy of Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, and talked about a ‘crystal forest’ as the underlying concept.

The formula appears to have lost little currency, although if anything the exterior of the Oxford Street shop is even more ostentatious, with crowded, crystal-like shafts of metal clustering around the upper portion of the windows. And in the window on the corner there is a crystal waterfall/fountain, call it what you will; there is absolutely no mistaking what this store’s offer is about.

Instant recognition

As in other stores, the word ‘Swarovski’ is actually quite low-key taken in the context of the rest of the shop fascia. But this doesn’t matter; anybody even remotely familiar with the brand will instantly recognise it for what it is. Tuerk says that the decision to open a flagship on Oxford Street “was a no-brainer. This is the busiest shopping street in the world for affordable luxury brands”.

And, with an average selling price in the Regent Street store of about £80, according to Tuerk, it is easy to see why the decision to set up shop here was taken.

Walking into the shop, the initial impression is of light and brightness. There’s actually quite a lot for the eye to take in; but the real crowd-pleaser is probably what is known internally as ‘the wave’. This is a long Swarovski crystal-adorned modern chandelier of amorphous form extending from the middle of the shop towards its rear.

It looks not unlike one of those 3D architectural models that you can view on a computer screen and which allow you to see an object from all angles. So thickly encrusted is this overhead fixture with paste diamonds that you can’t actually see if there are any lights in its centre. Ambient light levels are sufficient, however, to ensure that the whole thing sparkles perpetually. Glancing down from this, it is apparent that the shop is clean and simply laid-out: but busy. Directly in front of you is what must be the store’s most extravagant use of space. A square glass box stands on steel legs and on its waist-height top there is a cushion filled with fashion rings. These are of contemporary design and relatively small. Each is attached to a string, which descends through a slit into the glass box beneath it. At the end of the string and dangling within the box is a cut-glass orb. The idea is that the orb will prevent would-be thieves from walking off with the merchandise and the action of raising the ring also adds a degree of dynamism to the display. All fine, except that a small pair of scissors would undo this minor security feature; nevertheless it is attractive.

White glove treatment

Behind this, and still in the mid-shop, there’s a white display case, again with a glass top, containing the charms. And, deeper into the store, there’s a white table and white chairs. Tuerk says that the reason for the table and chairs is straightforward: “We put

everything behind glass and people get the white glove treatment, so it’s still a luxury experience.” And sitting down and being shown merchandise, rather than browsing the cabinets, is an integral part of being made to feel special.

The rest of the mid-shop is filled with similar free-standing display cabinets, all of them containing shiny charms and pieces of Swarovski jewellery. Tuerk comments: “The majority of our turnover comes from fashion.”

The perimeter is formed of a series of glass-fronted cabinets set into the wall, giving a slickness to the interior. The cream wall that surrounds them has been moulded to mirror the metal crystal formations on the exterior and, where there’s a gap between the cabinets, light-boxes have been inserted displaying a headshot of a woman wearing the product.

It is worth mentioning the themed graphic, in which an alien-like figure stands in front of a silhouette of familiar London landmarks. And, if you feel so minded and really are bling, you can buy a Union Jack purse, studded with Swarovski crystal, natch.

There’s a showrooms and conference area in the basement, so that the retailer can hold get-togethers and training sessions for its staff and management - but that’s another story.

Tuerk says that UK store growth is still part of Swarovski’s agenda. “We are still expanding. We have actually got stores in all of the obvious ‘A’ locations, so now it’s a matter of taking things when they show up,” she says.

Meanwhile, the Oxford Street flagship is an obvious progression from the Regent Street store and will form the template for future roll-outs, according to Tuerk. And, even if being glittery and sparkly isn’t really your thing, there is much to be said for giving this one the once or twice over.