SWAROVSKI EMPLOYEES SUPPORT SYRIAN REFUGEES AS PART OF NEST’S PROFESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Several weeks ago, Swarovski employees gathered around a large conference table set up at Swarovski’s sun-flooded New York City headquarters. The energy in the room was excitement mixed with uncertainty as the group awaited further instruction on the morning’s very important mission. Nest’s Annie Millican took the floor, directing attention to the large screen at the front of the conference room, where Rania Kinge, sat paused on screen, preparing to address her audience via a video recording she had WhatsApped to Annie the evening prior.

The video includes clips from Rania’s artisan workshop in Damascas, Syria, where Rania and her team of artisans have been building a dynamic business in spite of daily volatility in the region. Rania has a simple message to deliver to Swarovski employees: she is launching a line of hand-beaded bracelets made by women in her country who have been displaced by the war. She is training the women in one day to provide them with jobs and shipping the bracelets that are made internationally. The bracelets serve a second purpose of delivering hope and happiness – countering global misperceptions that Syria equals war and war alone.

The line, I Love Syria, should appeal to a contemporary woman, Rania explains. But what is the best way to do this? With diminishing access to the global marketplace and design resources such as trend reports, Rania turns today to Swarovski employees, who by leveraging their expertise in product development, design, account management, operations, and marketing, are able to give her the consumer feedback she is looking for. Rania’s interest in these insights is not unique; consumer feedback is a resource that global artisans are keen to access – and it is particularly pressing for those businesses on the cusp of transition from local market selling to international export.

Several months earlier, as a long-standing Nest supporter through the work of its foundation, the Swarovski Foundation, Swarovski had jumped at the opportunity to gather its employees to a part of its ongoing work with Nest. The Swarovski Foundation’s partnership with Nest has been vital to Nest’s to rescue and revive the 500 year-old silk weaving tradition in Varanasi, India – ensuring that women’s livelihoods are intact as use of the powerloom and cheap factory labor threaten handloom.

As part of Nest’s Professional Fellowship Program designed to bridge the skills and education gap between artisans in emerging economies and professionals with the power to transfer their knowledge to those who need it most, Swarovski employees signed up to spend a morning brainstorming in small groups about what would make I Love Syria bracelet line stronger. This was an opportunity not only for Rania in Syria, but also for Swarovski employees to experience the sense of empowerment that comes from leveraging professional experience for greater good. “I love this packaging,” offered a Swarovski Account Manager, “but I’d love to see the story behind who made this bracelet better showcased in the insert that comes along with it.”

Nest extends a tremendous thanks to Swarovski and the Swarovski Foundation for their ongoing partnership. As for Rania, she says: “Everybody at I love Syria says a big thank you to Nest and Swarovski for this fresh and professional feedback. We are looking forward to using the insights from Swarovski employees to improve our brand.”