|
Burning Questions
Listed under: Trend Report
Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Candlemaking kits make great stocking fillers and can range from cheap and cheerful kids' sets to more expensive, luxury projects for the grown-ups. We spoke to one online candle supplier to find out what will be hot over the festive period
With the months slipping away towards Christmas, candlemakers will be edging away from fruity scents to something a little more spicy, says Dee Stapleton from online shop DeeLights.
“There are always very specific seasonal trends,” she explains. “For example, our fruity candles, coconut and mango, sell well in the summer. In spring it's florals and in winter it's the spicy fragrances, especially at Christmas.” With only descriptions on the website to try and convey the candles' scents, Dee also runs parties to give customers a whiff of the more unusual. “When people buy over the internet they tend to go for fragrances they are already familiar with; apple, orange and peach are very popular, as well as the aromatherapy fragrances, but vanilla is without a doubt the best-selling fragrance. I find that my more unusual ones sell really well at the parties I hold; you can describe the smell of something over and over again but you can only get a true sense of it when you stick it under someone's nose!”
There's an unshifting trend when it comes to candle shapes says Dee, who established Deelights seven years ago. “Women prefer cylindrical, round candles, whereas men definitely go for the square ones. Of course, there's always exceptions, but that's generally the rule.”
Dee believes other fashions will always have an effect on the craft. “I think candlemaking is very influenced by outside trends, especially what's in the homestyle magazines. There was a bit of a retro craze recently and we sold a lot of 1980s style black, whites and reds. Creams and browns are popular at the moment; they fit in very well with the whole minimalist theme. There's no doubt that candlemaking is definitely influenced by fashions and trends.”
“There are always very specific seasonal trends,” she explains. “For example, our fruity candles, coconut and mango, sell well in the summer. In spring it's florals and in winter it's the spicy fragrances, especially at Christmas.” With only descriptions on the website to try and convey the candles' scents, Dee also runs parties to give customers a whiff of the more unusual. “When people buy over the internet they tend to go for fragrances they are already familiar with; apple, orange and peach are very popular, as well as the aromatherapy fragrances, but vanilla is without a doubt the best-selling fragrance. I find that my more unusual ones sell really well at the parties I hold; you can describe the smell of something over and over again but you can only get a true sense of it when you stick it under someone's nose!”
There's an unshifting trend when it comes to candle shapes says Dee, who established Deelights seven years ago. “Women prefer cylindrical, round candles, whereas men definitely go for the square ones. Of course, there's always exceptions, but that's generally the rule.”
Dee believes other fashions will always have an effect on the craft. “I think candlemaking is very influenced by outside trends, especially what's in the homestyle magazines. There was a bit of a retro craze recently and we sold a lot of 1980s style black, whites and reds. Creams and browns are popular at the moment; they fit in very well with the whole minimalist theme. There's no doubt that candlemaking is definitely influenced by fashions and trends.”
