Meet the Maker: in conversation with Fae Candle co.
Fae Candle Co. create scents based on literature and mythology. Like many of us founder Devon struggled with her mental health during 2020 turning to books for solace. A self-taught candle maker, she discovered a natural gift for composing scents inspired by the fictional places she had read and immersed herself in. Fae Candle Co. was born from a love of books and escaping into imaginary worlds.
Devon has created a scent in response to the painting Sappho by Auguste C. Mengin which is on display here at Manchester Art Gallery. The process begins by researching the descriptions of a world to gain a foundation of its smell, before reading, or in this case studying the painting and imagining stepping inside and taking a deep breath. Researching scents which would have been used in perfume and during religious worship, Devon mixed the sample oils whilst having a copy of the painting in front of her. Devon wanted this fragrance to be predominantly feminine, whilst staying fresh to reference the sea that is part of Sappho’s story.
What inspires your work?
I’m hugely inspired by authors and the worlds that they create and I’m so lucky to be able to call so many independent authors friends at this point. I’ve always had an incredibly active imagination and I used to use books as a way to tire it out almost, as stories with a lot of world building meant that I could imagine stepping inside, smell the smells and see the views. I try and carry this over to making new scents and a lot of them are a balance between how the world is described and how I picture it after reading the story.
People who come up to me at a craft fair are also hugely inspiring to what I create! I love having conversations about their favourite stories and what they think it would smell like, and there has been some scents that have come out of their book recommendations that I’ve then gone on to read.
Tell us a bit more about the inspiration for the pieces you have created for Manchester Art Gallery.
Creating the Sappho scent was so fun and something that I originally had no idea how to do. When I first looked at the painting, I knew it needed to have sea air elements to stay true to the piece, but I wanted to capture Sappho as the focal point of the artwork. I have a Masters degree in Classical Studies so I dusted off my research skills and looked into what religious ceremonies in that period would have smelt like and I took some inspiration from that, particularly the cult of Aphrodite. I wanted a sensual and feminine side to the fresh smell and I used these scent ideas to create three samples for us to take to the painting and smell whilst we looked at the details. That was such a fun moment! It was unanimous that the Sappho scent we have today is the one that worked best, and it’s been such a fun experience to bring it to life.
The main scent notes in this are frankincense, sea salt and amber but there’s so softer notes that you might be able to pick up on within that.
Tell us a bit more about your practice.
I have a notes app on my phone where I write down the locations in books that I’ve enjoyed and think would make good scents. Sometimes I look through that and pick one to get started with or I’ll read a book and become so obsessed with it that it jumps the queue. I make a few notes about the scents that I think I need and then I search my favourite fragrance oil suppliers for oils that I think could work. If I needed a cotton smell for example, I would find two or three different ones to see which would work best in a blend.
When they arrive, I hold them up together to find my favourite combination and usually stick this under the nose of the family member closest to me too and tell them what to imagine. I’ll then decide on the percentages to include, usually based on a gut feeling, and then I mix that into a single candle. The two weeks that the scent takes to cure are the slowest of my life, as the scent can change and deepen throughout the two weeks!
Once it’s cured, I thoroughly test the scent. This is to see if it smells good and smells like I’ve imagined it to, but also whether it burns correctly, what the scent throw is like and to make sure it burns in a safe way. Sometimes I’m not happy and have to start again, I’m currently on my fourth attempt for one I’d like to bring out later this year which is the most I’ve had to do so far.
Once I’ve settled on the blend, I send my recipe to someone who creates my safety sheets and labels. This is a legal requirement and can be the most expensive part of the process, so I make sure this is done early so that I can legally and safely sell the blends. Then I make the candles and release them to the world!
Describe your workspace.
I started out using a kitchen to make batches of 2 or 3 candles at a time and I quickly annoyed everyone as I wouldn’t let them use it until the candles had set. I was lucky enough to negotiate taking over a bedroom in my house to make my own small studio, the only downside now is that wax loves a carpet! Different types of products need different wax, so I have two melters on opposite sides of the room to keep them separate. You can easily tell which is which as the wax melt table is usually covered in glitter. I have stock shelves all along one wall and we have family and friends joke that it’s like walking into a chaotic candle shop when I pre-make all of my winter stock. There’s a window that looks over a small woodland area, I have prints from small businesses on the walls and a little sofa so it’s a really relaxing space that my cat can enjoy too without getting in the way.
Who has influenced & inspired you?
So many people! I learn a lot from other small businesses; I have some fantastic candle brands as friends and we’ll always be at each other’s event tables having a smell. I exhibit at book signings and the authors and other vendors there inspire me, they’re incredibly creative people and it’s really exciting being around them. I have a really supportive circle of friends and family around me as well who regularly show up at events, help me run my table, smell sample candles, talk about the brand online etc. and they’re hugely influential on what I do in the future and how far I’m able to take this.
What is your favourite piece or design you have made?
My favourite scent changes almost every month but the one that I can never be without is called Whoville and it’s only available at Christmas. It’s based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss and it smells like gingerbread, spiced orange and roasted chestnuts. It’s the most delicious scent that I’ve made and I always make sure I have my own personal secret stash for the rest of the year.
Fae’s Sappho candle and room diffuser are available to purchase in the gallery and via our online shop