You may have seen our amazing new collaborative product range launch the other week!
We were ecstatic to launch a range of three scents we conceptualised and created in collaboration with Lucian Candles. The range is comprised of Reed Diffusers, Small and Medium candle tins & custom crafted glass vessel candles by Annette Blair.
We approached our friends at Lucian in August of 2020 with a loose idea to create a custom scent for POP.
The team at Lucian are beyond friendly, and they kindly agreed to collaborate with us, and the first steps were to meet up for a scent blending workshop!
A few members of the POP team met with Rachel & Chris from Lucian and started to sniff, mix, blend, contemplate and create what was meant to be a signature scent.
We agreed on and mixed a top three...
Lucian then mixed these scents on the spot and created 3 sample reed diffusers for us to sit on, smell, review and decide on a winner.
Well we couldn't crown one scent reining queen.
So we asked if we could produce all 3!
And from here the range started to build.
Through the next few months we started to understand the process of which the Lucian team work to create their amazing range of products.
As we watched the team take our scents from concept to product development, quality assurance and then production.
Working alongside the Lucian team was really exciting, as they also were revamping the brand. Just before our collab range launched Lucian released a new look tin, tweaked packaging designs and a brand new glass candle into their regular range.
Sarah is the graphic design magician who took our crazy ideas, scent descriptions and poster and turned it into a cohesive cross-branded suite of product packaging.
Keeping in-line with their new Lucian look and packaging, Sarah fit our branding directly into this bright and exciting packaging. Each scent took elements from our summer of love poster design and created their own identities.
Each scent is hand blended by Rachel using natural essential and fragrance oils. The candle products are then mixed with pure soy wax and hand poured into the different vessels.
Once cooled, wicks are trimmed, stickers are applied, and products boxed and packed. This is all done by hand, carefully and thoughtfully by the Lucian team.
No machines or fancy contraptions. Just hard, personal work by a small business.
We asked the team our usual questions to get the full story!
How long have you been making candles for and when did Lucian start?
Rachel has been making candles for over 10 years now, inspiration sparked when she attended a workshop and made candles in teacups and random old jars as Christmas presents for her family & friends. It developed into a bit of an obsession with crafting scents to share. In 2017, after lot’s of experimentation, Rach had a winning formula & wanted to start selling her wares, Chris was keen to help build the business, on the proviso they could get some wicked vessels & packaging - he has an eye for fancy things. Enter Phil & Sarah, who put together the brand and packaging & Voila.. Lucian was born!
Why is local shopping important to you?
It’s really nice to think about the behind the scenes process of objects that you buy, and when you buy from local makers, that feels more tangible. Knowing it’s made by real hands, nearby, that it was dropped off to local stores, with cheery hellos, just like we do. When we make a purchase online, they get the oxytocin buzz of the order notification - never gets old! And of course that when we choose to spend, we’re supporting genuine local legends with clever ideas, rather than offering a splash in the pocket of billionaires.
What is your favourite part of the process?
We all have different roles in the business... And different favourite parts - for Rach, it’s scent development all the way! Chatting to customers about the fragrances and getting feedback, editing the scents to make them better. Workshopping & debating with the team, to make the best scents possible. For Sarah, she mostly handles the design, and packaging is her jive. Recently we’ve updated all our tin & diffuser packaging & have introduced new glass vessels, so she’s been in her element! Chris loves scouting out new potential products, the luxier the better & planning how he will take over the world with his (our) candle empire.
Who is the Lucian team made up of?
We’re a family business, 3 friendly siblings (well Sarah by marriage). There’s Rachel - scent designer extraordinaire & email-answerer, Chris - the accounts & inventory mastermind & eagle-eyed maker & Sarah - jolly good designer & marketing whizz.
What is your favourite spot in Canberra?
We have two, the Arboretum and the Lake. The Arboretum has the trees and wandering paths that lead you to different spots and new secret gardens every time . Each new spot discovered shows the perfect balance of how to enjoy the natural world and design. We also all love walking around Lake Burley Griffin, admiring the different views each season brings.
What is your favourite part of teaching and passing on skills to others?
We enjoy that feeling of passing on something you’re passionate about to someone else and helping them connect with that feeling of creativity, that’s really rewarding. We also love seeing the crazy combos that people come up with, our workshops attract really creative people who mix things we would never dream of and it’s fun to see how they turn out.
