Paris, 1961. Three friends get together and open up shop at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain. There, they offer home-made, avant-garde fabrics in addition to a multitude of objects brought back from their escapades around the world. This knick-knack boutique would soon become a trendy spot for seasoned Parisians, who’s curiosity encouraged them to step into this new culturally rich, colorful, and inspired universe. The idea to add scents to their colorful wax candles, as they were already doing with their fabrics, was conceived in 1963 and led to the release of their first scented candle.
Welcome to a world where an unmistakable emanation inhabits the atmosphere of a room, leaving behind a lingering ambiance as rhythmical as any melody; the news didn’t take long to reach the ears of pioneering new customers, who passed along the hushed secret by word of mouth. A glass jar casing holds the wax creation, composed of different combinations of vegetal and mineral waxes, containing wicks that were manually inserted one by one. The finished product is adorned with an oval tag labeled with black calligraphy. Desmond seems to have accomplished his mission – to stimulate the senses with his imagery, telling a unique story about each of his creations in the meantime. Like any true artifact, its packaging is often recognizable even before the brand name itself. And here we are 50 years later; 50 years since Diptyque’s fragrances first started paying homage to nature through the usage of primary materials chosen with minute attention to detail.
The hypnotic mantra for Dyptique’s candles isn’t lost on Catherine Deneuve, who seems to have best summed up the intimate olfactory universe of their boutique in calling it “…a special place, a place that is different and a little offbeat.” This is what happens when luxury meets the idleness of days spent dreaming.
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