Meet Anna: the founder of Loriest & Co
The creation, conception and curation of Loriest & Co
On the inspiration behind Loriest & Co…
It was early summer 2021 when I found myself standing in my garden and the scent of elderflower drifted through the air. In that moment, I was taken back to my childhood, specifically my mum’s garden in Kent where a tall elder tree stood. That fleeting but astonishing few seconds stayed with me and I knew then that I wanted to do something with scent that meant something to people’s life stories. The sudden pull I had felt to my childhood home was so strong that it seemed simple; I would start a project that would be a wholehearted celebration of life stories on the British Isles.
On the steps it took to start the brand…
I trained many years ago as a beauty therapist and was fortunate to have the wonderful late Joan Thornycroft MBE as my mentor. She instilled in me the enormous value of listening to people’s stories and to use what I had learnt to understand others better. And so, it was by listening to my clients that I learnt very early on the emotional connectivity of their stories. I believe there is great value in sharing life’s ups and downs and in celebrating the small and large moments that are meaningful in many ways. The importance I place on empathy and understanding peoples’ lived experiences made founding a business based on beautiful scents, peoples’ stories, and the changing seasons a natural next step. These elements are woven through all that Loriest & Co does and is everything that I feel passionate about in one - or rather twelve! - carefully considered candles.
On curating 12 candles for 12 months of the year…
I started where it all began in June, with elderflowers and rose. I then thought on to July, my birth month, and whimsically considered what would that be - greenhouses and tomato vines, with runner beans from my grandpa’s vegetable patch all came to mind. Then I was curious to discover which other months had meaning for me. For example, May reminds me of my husband a Yorkshireman; his fondness for crumble means that rhubarb often finds its way into the kitchen that month, and on it went. I asked friends and family what scents reminded them of different times of the year. Time and time again the same plants and flowers came back. Evergreens in December, bluebells in April, the aroma of woodsmoke in November. The stories were all different, but the fragrance notes were the same, the seasonality of what is growing and scenting peoples’ stories continues to do so each year.
On deciding the different fragrances for each month…
Once I knew that we needed to go month by month through the year, I enrolled on a fragrance course to better understand how I could make my idea of twelve scents a reality. It gave me a fascinating insight into the direction Loriest & Co needed to go in, and who to ask for help in getting there. I extensively researched fragrance houses based in the British Isles until I found just who I was looking for. I then carefully compiled a list of fragrance notes that were in season or were reflective of that month. Working closely with the fragrance house we very slowly narrowed the vast array of seasonal flowers, fruits, herbs, and woodland notes down to twelve carefully curated scents that are inspired by each month. So, whether a scent has meaning or is simply a favourite note, each candle has been crafted with care and expertise.
On starting the Loriest & Co story…
I hope that lighting a Loriest & Co candle is like folding down the corner of a page in a book or placing a bookmark in a chapter so meaningful that it will certainly be re-read. A Loriest & Co candle is about noting a moment. By releasing the scent of that time, stories can unfold again and again. Scent speaks to all of us in one way or another. We all have stories that are connected to it, and it can be wonderful to begin a new story or chapter. Fragrance is transportive, as I found when it unexpectedly took me home. The unfolding of stories through scent works perfectly with the ritual of lighting a candle. A candle sets the scene for settling down with a book, or to softly light up a dinner table, a coffee table, or whilst soaking in the bath. I would love Loriest & Co candles to evoke and entwine stories and scent in homes, so that new stories could be cherished, old ones remembered, and favourite fragrance notes simply enjoyed.
