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Marina Raphael (born Marina Rafail-Vogiatzakis in 1998) is a sixth-generation member of the
Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...
family and a fashion designer. As the latter, she designs and produces handbags for her eponymous brand ''Marina Raphael'', ''
Elie Saab Elie Saab () (born 4 July 1964) is a Lebanon-based fashion designer. He started his business in the early 1980s and specialized in bridal couture (high-end fabrics, lace, gemstones, Swarovski Crystal, Swarovski crystals, pearls, detailed embr ...
'', and ''Swarovski''. In 2022, her work for both brands saw her listed amongst ''
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'' Europe's
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in its ''Arts & Culture'' category.


Early life and education

Born and raised in Athens to a Greek father and Swiss-Austrian mother, Raphael is a sixth-generation descendant of Swarovski founder
Daniel Swarovski Daniel Swarovski (24 October 1862 – 23 January 1956) was a Bohemian-born Austrian businessman, glazier, and jeweler. He was a founder of the Swarovski crystal dynasty. Early life Swarovski was born in Georgenthal, Bohemia, Austrian Empire ( ...
. 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 King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
.


Career

Raphael founded her handbag label ''Marina Raphael'' in 2017, launching it in 2018 in parallel with her university studies. Serving as its designer and CEO, the label’s pieces are produced in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, Italy with quality-control outsourced to Swarovski in Austria. Marina Raphael handbags are stocked by the likes of Harrods, Harvey Nichols, LuisaViaRoma, Neiman Marcus, and Moda Operandi. They have been carried by the likes of Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, Paris Hilton, Katie Holmes, and Jennifer Lopez. Since 2020, Raphael's brand has collaborated with a number of third-party designers and companies including
L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French multinational personal care corporation registered in Paris
’s ''Vichy Laboratories'', for whom Raphael also served as the face of the company's Greek advertising campaigns,
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Evangelie Smyrniotaki, stylist Georgia Medley, 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 Artificial leather, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost prohibitive or unsuitab ...
developed as a byproduct of the industrial processing of apples. Similarly, a collaboration between Raphael and Swarovski announced in 2020 saw the designer and Swarovski Group’s Global Creative Director,
Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert (born Giovanna Battaglia on 26 September 1979) is an Italian fashion businesswoman, stylist, editor and former model. She is the Global Creative Director of Swarovski Group. Engelbert was born in Milan and studied t ...
, 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. 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
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s. In 2024, Marina was appointed as Artistic and Design Director of Handbags at fashion house ''Elie Saab''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raphael, Marina 1998 births Living people 21st-century businesswomen Businesspeople from Athens