Hear Swarovski and one thinks of sparkly crystals. But today Swarovski is as multi-faceted as the statuettes for which it is famed. This year alone, the brand has sponsored Savage Beauty, the Alexander McQueen show at the V&A; launched a light show at its Las Vegas Bazaar store; decorated the venue for the Academy Awards; and sponsored the Baftas.

Now Swarovski has provided Cinderella with her glass slippers for Kenneth Branagh’s Disney film (pictured, below). “Did you see a photo?” exclaims Nadja Swarovski, 45, a fifth-generation Swarovski and a member of the brand’s executive board. “We had to work on the heel a few times just to make it the right angle and height,” she says of the 2kg pair of shoes currently on show in Leicester Square to promote the film.

In all, 1.7m crystals were used in the costumes. For the ball scene, Swarovski provided 150 tiaras, and the 10,000 crystals that stud Cinderella’s 24-layer powder-blue iridescent gown. “Swarovski crystals are a key creative ingredient to add sparkle, depth and colour to my costumes,” says multi-Oscar winning costume director Sandy Powell, who worked with the brand to give Cinderella her twinkle (she also worked with Swarovski on Shakespeare in Love and The Young Victoria).