Rachel Vosper candlemaker is nestled down Kinnerton Street. She is an artisan candlemaker and wax evangelist, Rachel Vosper - a warm light in London.
“Better to light a candle than curse the darkness”
Candlemaker Rachel Vosper’s journey began on a Barbados beach in 1994, and with a chance encounter that began a lifelong passion. After being asked to help out in a local Barbadian candlemaker’s, a whole new world was opened up to her. “I just fell in love with the whole process at first pour,” says Rachel. “My six-month trip extended to four years… which sparked a passion that would lead to the creation of my own signature brand and Belgravia flagship in 2011.”
The steep learning curve didn’t deter Rachel Vosper one bit, and upon moving back to her native UK, she continued the business she had meticulously built and opened her shop on Kinnerton Street.
Rachel’s emphasis on the bespoke nature of her products have helped a great deal in building her brand prestige. “There has been a real renaissance in time-honoured traditional crafts that focus on quality and originality,” says Rachel. “The value of my product is in the handmade, original nature; for customers who want something special and well made.”
Originality and uniqueness are the hallmarks of Rachel’s brand. When asked what it is exactly that makes her business so unique, Rachel cited her refill service: a service that allows clients to bring back used votives from the shop or provide their own vessels to be made into candles. “I like being given the chance to use something sentimental and old that has been brought in - perhaps it’s been tucked away in a cupboard for years or inherited - then given a new lease of life.”
Interested in the art of candlemaking?
As well as selling her bespoke candles, Rachel also offers candle-making courses for anybody interested in the process. “I think people are generally interested in learning and love the traditional nature of my work. The art of candle making itself is a rewarding and enriching method and I am resurrecting this through my bespoke candle making courses.”
Each candle making session gives Rachel the chance to remind herself of the creativity involved in her work, and she endeavours to convey that to students of the course. “Each customer receives a personal service tailored to their home and lifestyle, which is combined to make a product that is truly unique to them.” Rachel loves the client interaction and takes pride in knowing that what they have just created is going to a good home.
