Swarovski Partners with David Rockwell to Unveil the First Glimpse of the Oscar(R) Set Design

Swarovski Partners with David Rockwell to Unveil the First Glimpse of the Oscar(R) Set Design

Swarovski Crystal helps bring a new and fresh look to the 81st Annual Academy Awards(R)

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- David Rockwell reinvents the set of the 81st Annual Academy Awards with custom designed Swarovski Crystal curtains that will create a sparkling rainbow illuminating the grand arch of the Kodak Theatre, a building Rockwell's firm designed seven years ago. The curtains will shimmer with over 100,000 Swarovski crystals flown in especially from Austria and will stand an awe inspiring 60 feet tall and 100 feet wide. This is the second time Swarovski crystal has graced the stage of the Academy Awards(R) and this year promises to be even more of a stunning surprise with the curtains weighing in at three tons and being comprised of over 6,000 one-meter hand crafted strands.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090217/NY71666 )

"We could not think of a better partner than Swarovski to fulfill our vision of not just a curtain, but a frame to capture all the elegance, excitement and high-fashion that is the Academy Awards," added David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group. "We have collaborated with Swarovski many times and the result is always breathtaking. This is yet another spectacular centerpiece."

"Swarovski is delighted to support the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences for the second year on what is undoubtedly Hollywood's biggest annual event," said Nadja Swarovski, vice president of Swarovski International Communications. "We are especially pleased to collaborate with the esteemed David Rockwell on the magnificent Oscar set design. We embrace our commitment to supporting talent and creativity in the film industry and are especially proud of our long standing history of adorning stars from the red carpet to the silver screen."

View exclusive behind the scenes footage of the creation of the Swarovski Crystal Curtains for the 81st Annual Academy Awards on www.swarovskisparkles.com.

Over a hundred years ago, in 1895, Daniel Swarovski I, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly-invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewelry stones. From these beginnings, which revolutionized the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be the world's leading producer of precision-cut crystal, for fashion, jewelry and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the company, still based in Wattens, family-owned and run by 4th and 5th generation family members, has a global reach, with some 20,000 employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2006 of 2.33 billion Euros. Comprising two major divisions, one producing and selling loose crystals, the other creating design-driven finished products, the Swarovski corporation also includes four industrial brands, Tyrolit(R), manufacturing grinding tools, Swareflex, for road safety reflectors, Optik, producing precision optical instruments and Signity, Swarovski's brand for genuine and created gemstones. While Swarovski crystal, known by its product brand name CRYSTALLIZED TM- Swarovski elements, has become an essential ingredient of international design, Swarovski's own-brand accessory, jewelry and home decor lines are sold through more than 600 Swarovski stores and concessions in all major fashion capitals, and the exclusive Daniel Swarovski accessories collection has become the company's Couture signature. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 400,000 members worldwide, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines, and in Wattens, Crystal Worlds, the multi-media crystal museum, has attracted over 7 million visitors since it was opened in 1995, as a celebration of Swarovski's universe of innovation and inspiration, of crystal as the ultimate creative material.

Illuminating Fashion and Culture, Home and Leisure www.swarovskisparkles.com

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Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090217/NY71666
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN10
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Swarovski

CONTACT: Brianne Walker of Swarovski New York, +1-212-935-4200, ext.
192, brianne.walker@swarovski.com; or Bryan Langston of PR Consulting,
+1-212-228-8181, bryan@prconsulting.net

Web Site: http://www.swarovskisparkles.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment