Faustine Steinmetz wins Swarovski Collective Award

London-based French designer Faustine Steinmetz has been named the Swarovski Collective Award winner for 2017, in recognition of her ability to “push the boundaries of Swarovski crystal in fashion”.

The award celebrates creative talent, innovation and craftsmanship within the collections shown by Swarovski Collective members over the spring/summer 2017 and autumn/winter 2017 seasons, which included Emilia Wickstead, Sadie Williams, Creatures of the Wind, Rosie Assoulin, Tome, Arthur Arbesser, Vivetta, Aalto, Anne Sofie Madsen, and Wanda Nylon.

Steinmetz’s two collections explored reworked denim, where she combined hand-dyed indigo yarns and recycled denim with delicately embroidered Swarovski crystals, which impressed a panel of industry experts, including Nadja Swarovski, who said: "Her sustainable and ethical design approach and the innovative and visually stunning use of crystal in her collections make her a unique talent and an emerging role model for the industry.”

As winner of the Swarovski Collective Award, Steinmetz will receive 25,000 euros, as well as the year-long crystal product and financial support provided to all Swarovski Collective members over the two seasons.

London-based designer Faustine Steinmetz wins Swarovski award

Commenting on her win, Steinmetz said: “Working with Swarovski helped us to use the codes of that very elevated universe and incorporate them into denim. On a personal level as a designer you really have to believe in your product and your brand, it’s not always easy, so to have that validation from Swarovski is amazing – that the brand trusts and challenges designers to push the boundaries of crystal in fashion is inspiring.”

One of the judges, Dazed Media chief executive and co-founder, Jefferson Hack, commented: “Faustine Steinmetz is a designer as magician, a technician of fabric, so adept at manipulating textures that she is an almost supernatural dreamweaver. She has brought magic, light, stardust and invention to her Swarovski imbued collection and she is a shining example of where craft, creativity and technique converge into effortless beauty.

“It was Faustine Steinmetz’s daring ideas and delicate handling of Swarovski crystal that really impressed me. She is the modern edge of British Fashion.”

This isn’t the firs time that the Central Saint Martins graduate has caught the attention of award panels, the designer was the winner of the Woolmark Prize in the UK, unfortunately she was pipped to the overall womenswear prize by Gabriela Hearst, and in 2015 she was a finalist of the prestigious LVMH Prize.

The Swarovski Collective was founded in 1999 and has since supported over 150 emerging and established designers as they explore the creative potential of crystal use and craftsmanship. This is the third edition of the Swarovski Collective Award, previous winners were Rosie Assoulin and Peter Pilotto.

Images: courtesy of Swarovski