Marina Raphael (born Marina Rafail-Vogiatzakis in 1998) is a sixth-generation member of the Swarovski family and a fashion designer.[1][2][3] As the latter, she designs and produces handbags both for her eponymous brand Marina Raphael and Swarovski.[4] In 2022, her work for both brands saw her listed amongst Forbes Europe's 30 Under 30 in its Arts & Culture category.
Marina Raphael | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marina Rafail-Vogiatzakis 1998 (age 25–26) Athens, Greece |
| Nationality | Swiss-Austrian |
| Education | St. Catherine's British School King's College London |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Years active | 2018 to present |
| Relatives | Daniel Swarovski, Victoria Swarovski |
| Website | https://marinaraphael.com/ |
Early life and education
editBorn and raised in Athens to a Greek father and Swiss-Austrian mother,[5] Raphael is a sixth-generation descendant of Swarovski founder Daniel Swarovski.[1] She graduated with an International Baccalaureate from St. Catherine's British School prior to completing a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at King's College London.[1][6]
Career
editRaphael founded her handbag label Marina Raphael in 2017,[7] launching it in 2018 in parallel with her university studies. Serving as its designer and CEO, the label’s pieces are produced in Florence, Italy with quality-control outsourced to Swarovski in Austria.[2][8] Marina Raphael handbags are stocked by the likes of Harrods, Harvey Nichols, LuisaViaRoma, Neiman Marcus, and Moda Operandi.[9][10][11][12][13] They have been carried by the likes of Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, Paris Hilton, Katie Holmes, and Jennifer Lopez.[14][15][16]
Since 2020, Raphael's brand has collaborated with a number of third-party designers and companies including L'Oréal’s Vichy Laboratories, for whom Raphael also served as the face of the company's Greek advertising campaigns,[8] influencer Evangelie Smyrniotaki,[17] and creative director and sustainability consultant Doina Ciobanu. Her work with the latter saw the Marina Raphael brand release its first sustainable collection of handbags which utilise a form of vegan leather developed as a byproduct of the industrial processing of apples.[18] Similarly, a collaboration between Raphael and Swarovski announced in 2020 saw the designer and Swarovski Group’s Global Creative Director, Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, collaborate on the design and production of the first handbag line to be released under the Swarovski marque in the jeweller’s 125 year history.[19][8][4][20] In 2022, Raphael's brand was projecting that it would double its sales to reach revenues of US$2.6 million and, in the same year, it launched a collaboration with fine jewellery designer Eugenie Niarchos featuring a series of bespoke handbags accompanied by a collection of non-fungible tokens.[3][21][22][23]
References
edit- ^ a b c Davis, Dominic-Madori (17 March 2021). "How a 22-year-old heiress launched a handbag line and within 3 years landed the Netherlands' Queen Máxima as a fan". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ a b Oreshkin, Gennady (7 June 2022). "Innovation And Heritage: Striking The Balance With Marina Raphael". Prestige. Rush Hour Media. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Marina Rafail-Vogiatzaki". Forbes. 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ a b Beghelli, Chiara (5 March 2021). "Swarovski vira verso il lusso e non esclude più la Borsa". Il Sole 24. Milan. p. 30.
- ^ Pelloux, Cécilia (24 August 2020). "Get The St Tropez Summer Essentials". Forbes. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "Marina Raphael × Costarellos". Wonderland. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "Marina Raphael A.E." Union of Hellenic Chambers. n.d. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ a b c Davis, Dominic-Madori (17 March 2021). "Swarovski crystal heiress Marina Raphael explains how she achieved record-breaking sales by selling smaller handbags, donating to charity, and using snail mail to reach customers". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ Christodoulou, Kostis (5 May 2022). "Μαρίνα Ραφαήλ: Η Ελληνίδα που μπήκε στη λίστα Forbes με τις τσάντες της" [Marina Raphael: The Greek woman who entered the Forbes list with her handbags] (in Greek). PowerGame. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ Tsantaki, Sandy (14 May 2022). "Μαρίνα Ραφαήλ-Βογιατζάκη: Από την Αθήνα, στη Ντόχα και τη λίστα του "Forbes 30 under 30"" [Marina Raphael-Vogiatzaki: From Athens to Doha and the "Forbes 30 under 30" list] (in Greek). mononews. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ F. Tatiana Ngo Bii (19 February 2020). "Marina Rafael: Swarovski sixth generation forges her own path". The Global Fashion Business Journal. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Theodosi, Natalie (18 October 2019). "LuisaViaRoma, Handbag Designer Marina Raphael Unveil Sustainability Ambitions". WWD. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Kanter, Ariel (21 December 2022). "It's Time to Pack: Winter Beach-Vacation Essentials". Popsugar.
- ^ "Marina Raphael: An Ode to the New Beginnings". L'officiel UK. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Waheed, Jabeen (30 September 2022). "Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox and Jessica Alba are all rocking this new luxury handbag brand on the red carpet". Glamour. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ De Klerk, Amy (23 November 2022). "Marina Raphael on how a good handbag should be a conversation starter". Harper's Bazaar.
- ^ Theodosi, Natalie (25 November 2020). "How Emerging Bag Designer Marina Raphael Defied 2020 Market Challenges — and Thrived". WWD. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Lei, Angela. "Marina Raphael Defines The New Luxury And Launches Styles In Vegan Leather". Forbes. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ Theodosi, Natalie (16 November 2021). "Marina Raphael, Giovanna Engelbert Debut Swarovski Bag Collection". WWD. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ Theodosi, Natalie (5 March 2020). "New Accessories Players to Watch in Paris". WWD. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ McDowell, Maghan; Schulz, Madeleine (16 May 2022). "The Vogue Business NFT Tracker". Vogue Business. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Marina Raphael and Eugenie Niarchos on how they created the most exclusive fashion NFT in the world". Hello Magazine. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ Κράββαρη, Χριστίνα-Μαρία (November 2022). "Queens of Blockchain". Marie Claire. Greece. p. 66.