How Marina Raphael Of The Swarovski Family Built A Luxury Handbag Empire At Just 22: A Young Entrepreneur's Inspiring Brand Story

Hailing from one of the most affluent families within the jewelry industry that continue to carry a prestigious brand name even today, Marina Raphael is the sixth-generation member of the Swarovski family and an incredibly proud one at that. Not only has the budding entrepreneur built her own luxury business from scratch at the mere age of 22, but she also believes that everything she has ever created and achieved is because of the incredible support of her family and fully understands the challenges that come with being part of such a powerhouse.

Having graduated with a degree in Business Management from King’s College London, Marina had no previous experience in learning or designing handbags. With a keen spirit for entrepreneurship and the passion to create something of her own, she spent the following year learning how to design and create technical sketches of bags, followed by a course in topology that helped her understand the use of materials better.

Being so young and ambitious, along her journey there were many people who doubted her capabilities and believed that she was setting herself up for failure.

“I didn’t have much experience and they questioned my quality and my motives. They think, ‘oh she’s 22, let us see the brand for another three, four or five seasons’” she said to Business Insider 

The Brand Journey

In 2018, while she was ready to launch her new brand, it was not as simple as it would seem. The first few pieces designed by the brand did not work well in terms of design and appeal within the luxury bags sector. She had to rework on her designs and find what the brand meant and how she was willing to make her handbags truly stand out.

After a lot of experimentation, she had built the foundations of the brand based on which all creative and business related future decisions would be taken. One of the core aspects of Marina Raphael as a luxury handbag brand was that all the pieces were created keeping in mind that they must be treated as commodities that can be passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation.

Every bag is treated as an investment piece as opposed to a mere season to season purchase. This why the role of quality and craftsmanship are both integral and come together to form the two most fundamental pillars based on which all products are created.

Another important concept that drives the company is its staunch focus on sustainability. While the fashion and apparel industries are known for its ever-increasing carbon footprint and harmful effects on the environment, Marina wanted to ensure that her company adapts to environmentally friendly policies early on in their business. It has initiated a near-zero waste policy and every bag is created with biodegradable materials.

While Marina Raphael is not a fully sustainable brand, the goal is to get as close to it as possible. Her upcoming summer/spring collection has been designed to be completely plastic-free and they intend to inculcate more environmentally friendly practices across all touchpoints of the brand with time.

Being fairly new to the classic luxury handbags world, the brand has already taken the retail world by storm with top online retailers like Harrods already featuring the brands products. Even luxury specialist like Moda Operandi carry Marina Raphael bags, that are now also sold in multiple luxury boutique hotels. It has also developed partnerships with many specialty stores across the world like Esmeralda in Porta Cervo and Elyse Walker in California to name a few.

Production and Manufacture

It was important for Marina to ensure that all the materials used were completely authentic and being produced in the most efficient way possible. All the raw materials, especially leather, are sourced from Florence, which is known for its highest quality of leather production.

At first, all the bags are structured and mass produced in Italy from where it then makes its way to Austria, where the quality control department of Swarovski handles the checks on each product. After the completion of its initial checks, these bags are then sent off to Greece for its final checks for quality control. Post its final checks the bags are exported to mass retailers and distributors who then take care of the sales aspect of the brand.

Creative Process

In terms of the design process, being an inherently creative individual Mariana initiates the process of creation by building on an idea or inspiration. She believes in making handbags that not only reflect the identity of a modern woman but also represent something that meets their standards in terms of fashion and style. She wants her designs to encourage people to find their style and be completely in tune with themselves.

“By taking the time to have an honest conversation with ourselves about what we love to wear every day, we learn to appreciate the benefit of having one item instead of ten.”

One of the brands most popular handbags is the Marina Raphael Riviera which is a gorgeously designed medium sized tote bag that has been created to carry anything and everything that a woman might need. It is built with a sturdy structure, keeping in mind that women often like to carry a bulk of things along with them. The inspiration behind this bag was Riviera in Raffia.

Marina scouts for inspiration from even the smallest of things around her. From the color of the sky to buildings to architecture or even her travels, she believes in keeping the mind open to endless possibilities of inspiration.

Coming from a powerful business family, it was important to her to inculcate her family business in her products through one way or the other. What started off as a simple experiment has today turned into a trademark for the Marina Raphael brand. These luxury handbags are not just created with love and exceptional design processes but also stand testament to her love and appreciation for her family’s support. She does this by adding Swarovski crystals to every bag as embellishments and as the perfect ode to her family.

Not only does this add to the stunning visual appeal of these bags but it also makes every handbag look absolutely timeless and classic. She has also been inspired by the women in her family to create bags and accessories that can be worn by anyone.

Today, after two years of being in the luxury bags sector, the brand is doing exceedingly well for itself. Apart from handbags, Marina also intends to gradually venture into creating more products with a dedicated fashion and apparel line under her name in order to further expand her wings. She also plans to increase the retail footprint of her handbags and conquer the French market with her stunning designs.