DALLAS, Aug 27, 2004/ FW/ --- Season after season, from New York to London, Milan and Paris, Swarovski crystals can be found enmeshed in the richly textured looks of fashion.

Very proactive and always on the cutting edge, Swarovski has been the leading manufacturer of cut crystals since 1895. Crystal jewellery stones and crystalline semi-finished goods for fashion, though just one of the many product range of the Austrian company, is taking center stage during the Spring 2005 New York season.

On Wednesday, September 8, at Skylight Studios in New York, Swarovski will present “Runway Rocks,” a collection of haute couture catwalk jewelry designed exclusively for the Austria-based company.

Featuring works by the world’s cutting edge fashion jewelry designers, each piece is the ultimate vision of jewelry for the catwalk as imagine by its creator.

Commissioned by Swarovski, the designers, all linked to fashion and jewellery, were asked to find new expression for crystal in jewels, to experiment with forms, meanings and conventions of jewels today and to merge fashion, body ornament and jewellery. Each design is a celebration of creativity and innovation, implementing the beauty and energy of crystal.

Erickson Beamon, who has been a driving force in the fashion industry for over two decades fashioned the “Hollywood Body Wrap.” Using the trademark Swarovski crystal beads, the designer created a Hollywood style ornament that wraps around the body, clinging, sensual, and theatrical, yet contemporary in form and style. The jewel becomes an integral, structural component of the evening gown.

Creations by Simon Alcantara, Faraone Mennella, Yossi Harari, Jack Vartanian, Iradj Moini, Rodrigo Otazu, Judy Blame, Simon Harrison, Elizabeth Galton, Fiona Knapp, Aude Lechere, Delphine-Charlotte Parmentier, On Aura Tout Vu, Philip Treacy, Danilo, Ruffian, Peter Som, and Proenza Schouler will also be highlighted during “Runway Rocks,” as Swarovski's first couture catwalk jewelry show makes its debut during New York Fashion Week.

“Catwalk jewels break the boundaries of convention and reality, challenging the age-old roles of jewelry, pushing form, function, and ornament to their limits, crossing the borders between jewelry, fashion, and art," Nadja Swarovski explained.

"Jewelry is the most powerful and creative expression of individual style and personality, and the catwalk is emerging as the most directional influence on today's jewelry design,” she added.

Swarovski has a long tradition, dating back to the 1950s, of collaborating with eminent designers, such as Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, to create avant-garde crystal jewelry.

The next stop for the Runway Rocks collection is London, where Swarovski will host four Runway Rocks shows at the Victoria & Albert Museum as a part of the Fashion in Motion series on Friday, November 26, 2004.

For more information on Runway Rocks, please visit: www.swarovskisparkles.com