The French fragrance brand commemorates its 60th anniversary with a new line of graphic candles
Diptyque celebrates is 60th anniversary with a new line of graphic candles that are a nod to the fragrance house’s storied history.
The brand began in 1961, when three art students, Christiane Montadre, Desmond Knox-Leet and Yves Coueslant, opened their boutique in Paris’s Saint-Germain neighbourhood. The store was a modern day bazaar, selling knickknacks from around the world – bistro sugar holders, lorraine glassware, Indian incense burners – as well as the trio’s own graphic textile designs. It wasn’t until 1963 that Diptyque started producing their own candles, after a local wax maker gave them the idea to create scents to complement their fabrics designs.
In homage to that graphic past, Diptyque has commissioned the designer Yorgo Tloupas to create four geomatic patterns to adorn their Baies, Tubéreuse, Figuier, and Roses candles. Each of the designs is intended to visually reflect the scent it’s attributed to, like concentric ovals that mimic the shape of the figs that inspired ‘Figier’ or overlapping curves that are similar to the berries that make up ‘Baies’.
As always, the brand’s signature oval crest is at the centre of each candle. Designed by one of the original founders, Desmond Knox-Leet, the seal was inspired by the shields of ancient Roman soldiers. At the centre of each is the candle’s name, purposely scrambled as a playful take on the codes and word games Knox-Leet was obsessed with.
For the first time in Diptyque’s history, the signature seal is coloured red, green, pink, and blue respectively as a complement to the surrounding black and white designs.
A playful homage to the history of a brand that, over 60 years, has established itself as one of the most beloved names in candle making.
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