Nathalie Colin

Nathalie Colin is the Creative Director of the Consumer Good Business division of the Swarovski Group, the world’s leading producer of cut crystal.

Since 2006, she has infused the Jewellery, Accessories and Crystal Living collections with her creativity and vision of modernity, both for the Swarovski and the Daniel Swarovski couture lines.

Born in 1966, Nathalie Colin studied both Marketing at the French Business school “Ecole Supérieure de Commerce” (ICN) in France and Fashion in the United States, at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Nathalie’s first experience in the fashion scene was quite remarkable, working for Perry Ellis, alongside the inspired designer Marc Jacobs.

From 1989 to 1999, her strong skills in fashion and marketing opened the doors to the Promostyl agency, where she was in charge of developing the design bureau’s consultancy activity in France and abroad. She extended the company’s activity with an eclectic range of areas from ready-to-wear fashion to accessories, costume jewellery, lingerie, sport, trade shows, cosmetics and luxury jewellery. In 1994, she started her collaboration with Swarovski on a consulting basis on projects related to trends and early product concept development.

During these ten years, Nathalie Colin kept fine-tuning and sharpening her perception and vision, increasing her knowledge of markets and brands and of their needs and expectations. “Brands need to keep re-inventing themselves, as the world around us is constantly changing. And in my role as Creative Director, I will always fight for a world in movement and for a mindset geared towards the future with colorful optimism !” says Nathalie Colin.

In 2000 she founded Cultural Sushi, a brand and design strategy consultancy agency, the name referring to her lifelong passion and fascination for Asia.

She left her agency in 2006 to join Swarovski as the Creative Director, convinced by the extraordinary creative potential of crystal. “Cut crystal is a material that seemingly changes all the time. It’s a living material, impregnated by its environment that creates an infinite number of poetic reflections and reveals indefinite mysterious facets. ‘The Poetry of Precision’, the Swarovski design language reflects the endless possibilities and styles, from romantic to the most avant-garde.”

Nathalie’s Colin objective is to combine emotion and accessibility, easy wearing and uniqueness within the Jewellery, Accessories as well as Crystal Living lines.

“My role as a creative director is to make the brand appealing and unique, finding the fine balance between the rich heritage and the freshness of new ideas. This in turn is reflected in the style and consistency of the collections as well as in the image of communication. I believe that just because a brand is strong, it doesn’t mean that it can be grafted on to all kinds of products in a whole variety of domains. It is essential to remain true to the brand values and legitimate territory, but to push the boundaries of creation every season.”

Nathalie Colin’s inspires the company’s creative team to reach new heights:

In 2007, Eliot and Erika, two playful characters have become favourite motifs.

In 2008, the Swan logo was interpreted to shape an iconic signature pattern: the Swanflower®, which now is already part of the Swarovski heritage and DNA.

A brand new boutique design was created in close collaboration with the famous Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, resulting in the stunning “crystal forest” concept. Last but not least, 2009 saw the launch of the new watch collection at the Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show.

In 2010, Swarovski launched its first Men’s line and the Eyewear sun and optical collections that stage beautifully the brand’s design moto “design don’t decorate”.

In 2012, she launched her first book “Multiface(t)s Style Yourself with Jewelry” which reveals the art of self expression through jewelry.

Today, her Paris based design team with 21 nationalities reflects well her vision of an international multi cultural brand like Swarovski.

It is Nathalie Colin’s unique expertise that season after season respects the pioneering and innovating spirit of Swarovski family – and fuses heritage with modernity.