It should come as no big surprise that Louis Vuitton doesn’t do anything unless it is executed to the highest degree. From the months-long process it takes for each of its iconic trunks to be handmade exactly to the client’s specification all the way down to the seemingly simplest details, everything is carefully considered and always slowly crafted. Case in point? Its brand-new line of scented candles ($185). Available this week online and in stores (and at the Fragrance and Candle pop-up opening on November 20 at the brand’s Prince Street outpost in New York) the four candles join the fragrance world that the French house introduced with its first women’s perfume back in 2016, and expanded with the addition of men’s fragrances earlier this year. And while the surprisingly minimalist packaging looks simple on first glance, in true LV form, it’s anything but.
Brought to life by master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud and blended in French perfume capital Grasse, each scent is meant to capture the four seasons, and, in line with the brand’s travel heritage, transport you to a specific destination. The series begins in spring with L’Air du Jardin, a careful, bright blend of rose (a notoriously tricky note to get right in candle wax) that calls to mind a Provençal estate. Summer’s scent, Île Blanche, with its notes of tea, jasmine sambac, and neroli, evokes long days spent on white-sand beaches. While the Feuilles d’Or fragrance summons an autumn walk in the forest thanks to notes of Virginia cedar and Indonesian patchouli. For winter, Dehors Il Neige is an elevated take on holiday mainstays—think star anise and cinnamon mixed with incense and sharp raspberry.
Each candle is completely handmade in Grasse. Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Beyond carefully selecting the notes of each fragrance, the candles have all been produced to extremely exacting standards. Each wick is hand-cut to be exactly a quarter of an inch long, and then hand-colored in bright red, blue, yellow, and green. Since Louis Vuitton is essentially short-hand for stylish journeying, it’s only natural that the candles have been designed to travel. The matte ceramic pot is outfitted with a brushed gold lid and leather handles for easy transport, designed to pick up patina as you bring a little piece of home with you on your laps around the world.
