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, Austria, and has existed as a family-owned business since its founding in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal ...

family and a fashion designer. As the latter, she designs and produces handbags both for her eponymous brand ''Marina Raphael'' and ''Swarovski''. In 2022, her work for both brands saw her listed amongst ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' Europe's 30 Under 30 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 glass cutter, jeweler, and founder of the Swarovski crystal dynasty. Early life Swarovski was born in Georgenthal, Bohemia, Austrian Empire (now Jiřetín ...

. She graduated with an International Baccalaureate from

St. Catherine's British School ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

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 research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

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 ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy with quality-control outsourced to Swarovski in Austria. Marina Raphael handbags are stocked by the likes of Harrods, Harvey Nichols, LuisaViaRoma, and Moda Operandi. 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 personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, sk ...

’s ''Vichy Laboratories'', for whom Raphael also served as the face of the company's Greek advertising campaigns,

influencer An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...

Evangelie Smyrniotaki, and creative director and sustainability consultant

Doina Ciobanu Doina Ciobanu (Дойна Чобану, born 20 April 1994, Chișinău, Moldova) is a London-based fashion influencer, model, and sustainability advocate. Described as having one of the strongest personal brands in the United Kingdom’s fashion i ...

. 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, 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.

References

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