LONDON — Nadja Swarovski, who stepped away from her family business in 2021, has acquired a majority stake in the British label Really Wild Clothing via Pegasus Capital Bidco Limited, alongside her husband Rupert Adams.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The great-great-granddaughter of the founder of the Swarovski crystal company will become chief creative officer, chief marketing officer, and chair of board at Really Wild Clothing. At the same time, Adams will serve as managing director.
The couple will continue to work with existing shareholders Gabriela Luksic and her daughter Florence Newman, and brand founder Natalie Lake, now head designer of the Heritage Country Collections.
Luksic is a member of the family that controls the Luksic group, one of Latin America’s biggest conglomerates with businesses in the mining, financial, industrial and beverage sectors. As an investor herself, Luksic has invested significantly in her homeland of Chile, as well as in real estate developments in the U.S., Spain and the U.K.
Under this new ownership, the brand aims to become a global British lifestyle label that “celebrates craft, creativity and cultural heritage in various geographic regions, combining traditional artistry with design relevant to the zeitgeist,” according to Swarovski.
“Really Wild seemed like the perfect fit for our portfolio, which invests in brands that are rooted in craftsmanship and cultural heritage,” she said.
“We feel strongly about the preservation of craftspeople and their expertise. In the case of fashion, we believe that style vs. trend supports a more sustainable business model, offering our customers products of the highest quality, which will last a lifetime. The connection of this brand to nature is a reminder to us that we must protect people and the planet in everything we do,” added Swarovski.
Lake, who founded the brand in 2002, said: “I couldn’t be more excited about the next era of Really Wild with Nadja at the helm. She’s a spearhead whom I’ve deeply admired and a leader who exemplifies everything I’ve worked for Really Wild to embody.”
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Lake said Kate Middleton, whose family lived nearby hers at Oxrdordshire at the time, helped her to sell her first collection at the Game Fair at Blenheim Palace in 2004.
Having worked at her family firm for 26 years, Swarovski was the first female member of Swarovski’s executive board. During her time, she initiated several high-profile designer collaborations and founded the luxury jewelry brand Atelier Swarovski. The company also became a major sponsor of the CFDA Awards.
She also set up the Swarovski Corporate Social Responsibility department in 2012 and established and chaired the Swarovski Foundation, a U.K.-based charity, supporting human rights, culture and environment, in 2013.
