SwarovSki recently completed 15 yearS in india. Sukanya Duttaroy, managing director of SwarovSki india, talkS to aliya laDhabhoy about the brand and

itS lateSt offeringS to remain relevant to the evolving taSteS of today’S conSumerS.

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Earrings from the Good Mood collection.

Retail View

Tell us a little more about Swarovski’s Spring/Summer collection for 2017.Urban Romance is a very versatile collection; the new go-to for global travellers where a woman can perfectly transform her look from day to night. This season, Swarovski has added playful pieces like the new Crystal Dust collection which can be worn on the upper arm, as a choker, or even as a headband. There is fluidity in the collection that redefines casual femininity with sporty attitudes.

Will the entire collection be available in India?Yes, as a global policy the Swarovski collection is available in all markets in its entirety. However, due to market preferences sometimes the stores carry a more curated offering.

Where will it be retailed? The Urban Romance collection will be retailed through the Swarovski boutiques pan India as well as by our online partner, Myntra.

What is the inspiration behind the new collection?When Nathalie Colin, creative director, Swarovski, was designing the collection, she drew inspiration from two of her favourite cities – Paris and Los Angeles. She expressed the romantic side of Paris through floral colours and feminine designs, while Los Angeles brought about the fluid aspect to the jewellery. She tried to go with the current trend of stacking and layering to help the Swarovski woman mix her jewellery with a personal and chic twist.

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How have Swarovski jewellery sales grown year-on-year in India in the last five years?Swarovski has revelled in the recognition and acceptance that it has acquired in the Indian marketplace and the same reverberates in its tremendous growth trajectory. We continue to post double-digit growth across our leading categories of jewellery and watches.

What is the forecast for 2017?The primary focus, as always, remains the jewellery segment,

A necklace fromt the Glow line.

Linear earrings from the Gardenia collection.

The necklace from the Good Mood collection features Swarovski stones in pop colours.

mainstay jewellery category. However, in absolute terms, jewellery remains our key driver.

What is the popular price bracket for consumers when it comes to Swarovski products? It has been pegged between I6,000 and I10,000.

There are many counterfeit products in the market. How does one distinguish a Swarovski crystal from a fake? This is a definite challenge we face, however, consumers exposed to Swarovski packaging and quality can discern the difference. Actually, the focus on our symbolic ‘blue box’ packaging has become synonymous with the Swarovski brand promise of quality. Besides, we continue to educate consumers about our brand through our multiple communication channels. n

further heightened with continuum in innovations and introductions of new on-trend products in exciting variables.

Have you seen a change in consumer demand patterns in the last three years?Most certainly, the dramatic swing has been towards self-use or for self-gifting. Also, styling has played a pivotal role, for instance, the global trend of layering has prodded us to launch daintier jewels which can be stacked together for a unique style statement. Furthermore, we have added trendy products at quite an affordable price range.

What about the watch segment? Is it growing at par with jewellery? The watch category has been a huge success story for us, so much so that it is even higher, in percentage terms, in comparison to our

The watch category has been a huge success story for us, so much so that it is even higher, in percentage terms, in comparison to our mainstay jewellery category.”

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Retail View

The fringe necklace from the Gardenia collection mimics foliage and floral motifs.

A slender bangle from the Glow collection. Earrings from the Guilty line.