NOTES ON BLOOM

A Note From Lauren

Photography by Kelley Shaffer

 

 

BLOOM: The Collection, our capsule collection for spring, is the perfect example of the unexpected results that come when creatives collaborate. What started as a simple candle morphed into a cohesive collection that embodies the spirit of BLOOM. Abundance, a word often associated with the new growth of springtime, is at the heart of LES. From our beginning, we have operated with an abundance mindset, believing there is enough room at the table for everyone and that when creatives come together, amazing things can happen. 

More than anything, BLOOM is proof that when the right people are brought together, creativity is amplified. 

 

 

I began to think about BLOOM in late December. With the craziness of the holiday rush dying down, my mind had time to wonder, and I inevitably started scheming about how I could bring some of my favorite creatives together. In curating for LES, my goal is to seek out those special pieces that make the biggest impact. Uniqueness, whimsy, and quality are fundamental to what we do. With these tenants in mind, I set out to create a capsule collection for Spring, and “BLOOM” was born.           

The BLOOM Collection centers around the launch of our second exclusive candle.

BLOOM, the scent, is bright and lively, instantly elevating the atmosphere of any space with a crisp aroma sure to awaken the senses. Lush notes of mandarin, rose, lily, and amber invite you to experience the abundance of spring. We turned to Kerry Thompson of MINOT to create the scent. We previously partnered with Thompson on our MOOD Candle, so we were familiar with her ability to source the highest quality ingredients while mixing her uniquely sophisticated scents. Her small batch, hand-poured production allows for meticulous craftsmanship. Each candle is non-toxic and free from parabens, phthalates, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors. Only the good stuff.

 

"FOR AN EXTRA SPECIAL TOUCH, I ALSO ASKED YEZZA TO CREATE A LIMITED EDITION CERAMIC VESSEL THAT WOULD BE FILLED WITH THE SAME UPLIFTING SCENT"

 

 

For the candle design, we partnered with long-time LES artist Kristin Yezza. Known for her whimsical creations in a myriad of mediums, I knew Yezza would be the perfect collaborator. Kristin Yezza has a mind that I can only describe as magical. When creating new work, she rarely looks to historical references or other artists for inspiration. Instead, her creations are born out of pure imagination. The result is a childlike whimsy that is simultaneously elevated due to her refined palette. I gave Yezza very little guidance on creating the design for the candle, but what she came up with was exactly what I was hoping for. This speaks to the consistency of her work - everything she creates is just so her!

I would know a Yezza anywhere.

 

 

The tiny “moonflowers” that grace our candle are a continuation of Yezza’s charcoal drawings, available now at LES. These otherworldly daisies are what Yezza imagines a flower grown on the moon might resemble. Happy, spring-like, and a little weird, these flowers embody the spirit of BLOOM. For an extra special touch, I also asked Yezza to create a limited edition ceramic vessel that would be filled with the same uplifting scent. Yezza turned to petals, scalloped edges, and the indexical trace of her fingers, all of which characterize the products she has created for LES in past collections.

 

 

From the candle, the collection began to take shape in unexpected ways, reinforcing my belief that when you bring talented creatives together, amazing things can happen. A few weeks after we started working on the candle, Kristin asked me if I was interested in seeing what she was doing with resin. My answer was an immediate YES, as it is whenever Kristin asks me if I want to see something new she is cooking up in her basement studio. Over Facetime, she showed us how she was experimenting with this material that was entirely new to her. With big vats of resin poured all over her basement floor and a couple of prototypes, it wasn’t much to see, but I knew immediately that she was creating something special.

That is the thing with Kristin; she puts her all into everything, and the results are always magical.  

 

A few weeks later, a limited edition resin collection, meant to launch alongside our candle, began to take shape. The sculptural vessels, which Yezza perfected through experimentation with, among other things, packing tape on cardboard, are dotted with dried hydrangeas that Yezza gathered from the front of her house last fall, and of course, some of her signature scallops. While a new medium for Yezza, the work perfectly aligns with the magical world she has created.

While Yezza was hard at work dreaming up her exclusive new works that would launch alongside the candle, I was planning the photography direction for the launch. I knew I wanted to bring in Kelley Shaffer, a photographer and stylist Kristin introduced me to last year when we shot her home for Volume II. Shaffer’s signature style is redolent of the era of analog photography, when masters like Man Ray and Robert Mapplethorpe experimented with the transfer of light to create graphic, highly contrasted imagery.

 

"I LOVED THE IDEA OF JUXTAPOSING KRISTIN'S WHIMSICAL AND PLAYFUL CREATIONS WITH KELLEY'S MORE SERIOUS, SOFT, AND MOODY STYLE"

 

The collaboration continued to provide more exciting and unexpected surprises. Shaffer, who conveniently lives close to Yezza, went over to photograph some “making of” shots for Volume III and, while there, decided to take advantage of the soft light trickling in on Yezza’s textured cement basement floor to shoot some of the flowers she had brought along for styling. The fine art images she captured during this shoot, rooted in light and shadow, round out our BLOOM Collection. 

Through collaboration, what started as a concept for a spring candle has morphed into a cohesive collection of works that embody the spirit of the season. 

 

SHOP BLOOM: THE COLLECTION

BLOOM

LES Collection x oon

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Forever Vase I

by Kristin Yezza

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Forever Vase IV

by Kristin Yezza

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Sustinēre

by Kelley Shaffer

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Flowers Are Forever

by Kristin Yezza

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BLOSSOM Limited Edition

by Kristin Yezza

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Ä’mergere

by Kelley Shaffer

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Forever Vase II

by Kristin Yezza

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Forever Vase III

by Kristin Yezza

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Diamonds Are Forever

by Kristin Yezza

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Redīre

by Kelley Shaffer

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