Garnish your get-up with these gem-like handbags

“The day we received the final samples, it was super sunny. So the first thing we did was unpack the shipment from Italy and brought the bags outside, just to see the way they’d reflect the light,” says Marina Raphael.

She’s speaking about her new collaboration with Swarovski – a heritage brand she’s very familiar with as a 6th generation descendent of founder Daniel Swarovski. “At that moment,” she continues, “All of that effort, the back-and-forth and technical difficulties were worth it. I knew that if someone asked, I’d do it 10 times over.”

The 23-year-old founder of eponymous handbag label Marina Raphael partnered with Swarovski’s new Stockholm based creative director Giovanna Engelbert to create three handbag styles. More objects D’art than everyday carry-alls, Raphael drew on her knowledge of gemstones and crystals – collated during a childhood exposed to the intricacies of Swarovski’s work – when designing for the collaboration.

The collaboration between Raphael and street style maven turned creative director Engelbert was due to the pandemic online-based. “We’d get dressed up for all of our zoom meetings because we were so excited about seeing people,” says Raphael. “Giovanna is such a force of nature, and we just clicked. I kind of got into her head and how she was thinking, which made the process of conceptualising what she was visualising easier.”

“Growing up, I was always surrounded by fashion and craftsmanship. I’d make these crystal bracelets that we would sell for charity,” she says. “I think I got a lot of my drive from the women in my life. My mum, my Grandma, my cousin and aunts. They’re motivated and stylish, and I try to use that sense of female empowerment in my designs.” It was these women that Raphael imagined wearing her gem-like collaboration.

Although Raphael has previous knowledge of working with crystals and leather, the bags created for the collaboration was something entirely different. “It was a very steep learning curve. There were so many technical difficulties to work through,” she explains. “I’m a perfectionist. I always focus on the details in pursuit of perfection. The perfect shape, the perfect stitching, the perfect closure.”

Another critical factor that played a part in the design process was Swarovski’s core values. “Daniel Swarovski had this vision of creating a diamond for everyone, making sure each and everyone felt special and sparkly”, explains Raphael. “That’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to create these bags as a source of like confidence for all the people wearing them.”

The handbags all act as jewellery, the three styles an homage to Swarovski’s heritage. The crystal-like clutch was, according to Raphael, created in an effort to subvert the idea of a classic evening bag. “We wanted it to feel as if you’re holding a gem in your hands. Something precious and unique,” says Raphael. The second style is reminiscent of glistening chain mail and available in two colourways, both made from translucent linked crystal circles.

The three styles are available today on swarovski.com and in select stores.