Tales from a tech visit to Swarovski HQ

Earlier this year, 15 educators, including myself, were honoured to be selected as the first UK and Ireland education team for Swarovski Crystal Beauty Academy. This education team is the first pilot for the global team, led by Marian Newman.

We recently had the exciting and exclusive opportunity of being invited to Swarovski HQ in Wattens, Austria where we spent two days being led through the world and history of Swarovski. Can you imagine our delight? Swarovski is situated in one of the most picturesque towns in Austria. Some of us stayed in nearby Innsbruck which was just as beautiful but had a little more action.

Arriving bright and early on the first day, we were guided around the manufacturing factory where we had the rare opportunity to appreciate and understand how the crystals were made. I imagined it to be hectic yet it had a much more relaxed vibe. We were exclusively presented the latest innovations and releases and were given the opportunity to share our feedback, which was followed by a hands-on workshop using some of these new crystals.

Swarovski is somewhere where the twinkling Kira Kira app is not needed. Due to the quality, the twinkling crystals have this sparkling effect themselves. The magic never ended in the Swarovski building, which featured tiaras and shoes to Coca Bottles adorned with crystals. One of the most exquisite rooms was the mirror room, complete with mirrors floor to ceiling displaying crystals. Just imagine the sparkle!. Each glistening item that was revealed to us was greeted with an abundance of ‘ooh’s and ah’s’. We nail techs are magpies, after all.

Apart from the evident fairylike sparkle, something I thoroughly enjoyed was our tour through the Create Your Style DIY room, where we were taught how to create our own bracelet complete with Swarovski crystals.

After a busy day, the evening was spent relaxing and interacting with the team at a traditional Austrian restaurant where we got to experience the delights of Austrian food and wine.

Another early start in the beautiful town of Wattens and the first stop were one of Swarovski’s other buildings with breathtaking backdrops. We had a private tour of the archives where we were privileged to learn the history of Swarovski and view old photographs and items from the beginning of the Swarovski journey. Swarovski was founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895 and is still a family owned businesses, currently run in the 5^th Generation with such a fascinating story.

Workshops are taking place in the UK and Ireland with the educators, to book a workshop, click here.

Love Katie B x