Swarovski executive board member and head of corporate communications (0)

Despite being a former Harvard student, with degrees in Art History, Foreign Languages, and Latin American Studies from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, when Austrian-raised Nadja joined the family company in 1995, her family were dubious about the changes she sought. After all, she’d initially sought a career in the arts. However, Nadja’s vision quickly proved invaluable. Instrumental in repositioning the brand from a company that sold crystal ornaments to a fashion powerhouse and patron of directional and emerging designers like Alexander McQueen, Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor & Rolf, Christopher Kane and Mary Katrantzou, since joining Swarovski Nadja rapidly displayed an astonishing business acumen.

“I don’t think anyone expected the positive results I achieved, but they gave me the financial backing to do what I wanted,” she told Financial Times. “I opened a New York operation and a London office. When we opened the US showroom, sales of the stones shot up. It was hard at first—designers didn’t want to come to us because of the associations with small crystal animals. I had to call in personal favours. They didn’t see us as a sophisticated brand, but we had a sophisticated product.”

Since then, Nadja has been active in establishing Swarovski as a fashion brand that gives back, whether it’s through sponsorship of the CFDA and British Fashion Council, or via the Swarovski Foundation, set up in 2013. Working across three main areas, the Swarovski Foundation supports culture and creativity, wellbeing and the conservation of natural resources.Read more at:http://www.marieprom.co.uk/royal-blue-prom-dresses | http://www.marieprom.co.uk/black-prom-dresses