British Fashion designer Mary Katrantzou was born in Athens to an interior designer mother and a father trained in textile design. She continued the family legacy by studying Textile design at Central St Martins in London whilst working alongside Sophia Kokosalaki for two seasons. In 2008 she graduated with an MA distinction in Womenswear and her initial ready-to-wear collection debuted at London Fashion Week in Spring / Summer 2009 with a collection of only nine dresses that picked up 15 prestigious stockists including Browns, Joyce and Colette.

Inspired by perfume bottles, artisan blown glass and eighteenth century society paintings, Katrantzou’s fashion collections revolve around icons of luxury, physical objects from art and design that women are not be able to wear. Her Atelier Swarovski accessories for Autumn Winter 2011 complement her imaginative design aesthetic with a collection of wearable statement jewellery pieces. Necklaces and pendants feature iconic talisman shapes made with crystal mesh, scattered with pendants and strung on luxurious cord fastenings. Earrings, rings and bangles are crowned with chromatic clusters of crystal beads, from fuchsia to emerald, amethyst and sapphire interspersed with silver shade and aurora borealis pendants. These crystal combinations complement the opaque white and blue enamelled bracelets to create a rich, vibrant collection through considered use of colour and texture.

“I wanted to do something with my Atelier Swarovski collection that is refined, light and desirable. I combined the translucence and brilliance of Swarovski crystal pendants with a porcelain finish, achieved by using enamel. We also designed most pieces with clusters of Aurora Borealis crystals to give the collection an iridescent feel. I hope the jewellery looks like a prized possession you would love to own.” Mary Katrantzou