🕯️ Behind the Brand: VIGYL Candles
An Interview with Stephen Michlits, founder of VIGYL Candles
Happy Saturday everyone. I love a great candle.
I am an extremely scent affected individual and I like my space to smell nice and set the vibes right. I also love to gift an expensive candle to someone. While I often select one from one of my normal aromatic purveyors such as Diptyque, Maison Louis Marie, or Byredo (Japanese Amber 🖤) I am always on the hunt for a fresh new brand.
Just the other day I stumbled across VIGYL, a Canadian candle brand with incredible packaging, art direction, and product photography. I had to speak to the mind behind this brand. So today I chopped it up with Stephen Michlits—
Q: What is VIGYL and what does it represent in the space?
SM: VIGYL is a gateway to a premium candle experience. I am not a fan of the word ‘accessible’, because I feel it reduces the value of the work that went into designing and creating a brand to a pricepoint - but I did not want to create a brand that consumers felt was too precious to burn. We all have those candles that we are saving for a special occasion - and the idea with VIGYL is that today is the occasion, tomorrow is not promised.
I want the brand to promote a feeling of agency when consumers select the product. For that reason, I intentionally left the fragrance notes off of the packaging of our candles. Instead, you’re invited to engage with the narration and imagery, and most importantly pick up the candle and smell it for your self. I approached every aspect of the line with this sense of curiosity intentionally to oppose any feeling of prescription. Capturing that curiosity is really my main objective, as I’m confident the quality of the product will not disappoint.
Q: The candle marker is heavily saturated market with big players as well as many other brands in the space launching scents all the time. What made you want to enter this space? And what branding decisions did you make to differentiate your product from a crowded field?
SM: When I began conceptualizing the brand in 2019, I was working in product development for big retail. At the time, I was feeling exhausted creatively and uninspired by the consistently ‘safer’ design decisions that were made to appeal to mass audiences. Candles in particular were a category I was always drawn to as both a consumer and designer. Similarly to personal fragrance, the offering in candles range from everyday basics to luxury status symbols, and the quality in product, design and storytelling reflect that range.
In the late 2010’s most of the market had shifted towards ‘wellness’ with an emphasis on clean ingredients and performance features like ‘relax’, ‘sleep’, ‘focus’ and I just wasn’t inspired by that sort of ‘me too’, prescribed wellness approach to home fragrance. There was a clear lack of fun, exploration and agency. I was inspired by the premium brand approach that, in many ways, reflected what was happening in fashion, art and pop culture.
I felt like I had something to say in the candle category and so I left that role to begin building VIGYL. Even the name, VIGYL, is somewhat inspired by my personal rejection of this idea of prescribed wellness culture - it’s the subconscious reminder that you only live once so engage, explore indulge. My impression of ‘Memento Mori’. Life is short, light the candle.
Q: I’ve noticed VIGYL uses some interesting and somewhat juxtaposing motifs (the Viagara pill imagery and the classical art style) what is the creative thinking behind these?
SM: I appreciate that you noticed that! I am always drawn to juxtaposing motifs and elements in my design work, because I find them to be powerful tools for suggestive storytelling and creating a unique vibe. In a lot of ways I approach VIGYL like a puzzle. The storytelling and the visual elements inspire each other as I build, and the process is quite experimental.
I like the idea of catching people off guard with the unexpected, and the ‘unexpected’ almost becoming what you expect from the VIGYL brand. Sometimes I worry I’m the only one seeing the full picture but I think thats part of what makes the brand feel exciting and fresh.
Q: What is your process behind picking scents to produce?
SM: The product developer in me always starts with a basic customer strategy that considers how to create an appealing variety of fragrances within a collection. Home fragrance is very personal, but it can be broken down into key sub-categories in which most consumers are drawn to experiencing in their space. I try to make sure that foundational balance exists in the offering, but more important to me is that each scent is unique and dynamic. If something smells too singular or obvious, it’s not a VIGYL scent. It brings me great joy when a customer picks up a VIGYL candle, smells it, and tells me ‘I love this, but what is this scent?”. It’s VIGYL.
Q: Your product photography is very interesting and dynamic. What goes into a shoot?
SM: I am obsessed with product photography and have been so lucky to have been able to work with some of my favorite photographers on VIGYL shoots. Our core line was shot by Brandon Titaro and styled by Chad Burton, and our new Monume Collection was shot by Michael Kazimierczuk and styled by Zachary Noftall. In both cases, the initial direction was informed by the packaging artwork and storytelling, with subtle nods to fragrance composition.
The overarching approach to photography was to not be too literal, and instead take inspiration from editorial fashion photography. Each candle is treated as its own entity, with its own personality, and then the collection is pulled together by a campaign shot featuring the full line in a very VIGYL presentation. Collaborating with photographers and allowing their interpretations of the VIGYL story to shine revealed certain nuances that make the brand what it is today.
Q: Being a one man show can be taxing, did you hire out for website creation and branding?
SM: I have had the pleasure of collaborating with many creatives since launching VIGYL - but any aspect of the brand that I was able to complete myself, I did. The packaging design was the first element I landed on, and worked backward from that aesthetic foundation.
I did hire a dev team to help build the site, based on the wireframes I designed. Looking back, I should have engaged with the dev team before designing the site because I now understand the importance of professional UX/UI designers, and the value they bring in creating a seamless e-comm experience, from the initial planning phase and beyond.
Q: What tips do you have for leveraging content to drive e-commerce sales?
SM: I am still learning how to best leverage VIGYL content for optimizing sales, as my background is not in digital marketing or social marketing - but one thing I have committed to consistently is experimenting. It allows me to not get too attached to any singular direction because the brand is in its youth and needs time to explore and experiment. Many people will tell you consistency is critical in building a brand - and that is true - but I’m taking advantage of these first couple years to test concepts while my audience is growing, and see what truly resonates.
Q: What is your professional background?
SM: Creative Direction, Product Design and Development.
Q: What is next for Vigyl?
SM: I believe VIGYL in its essence is a lifestyle brand, and I would like to explore what that looks like in 2024. Aside from restocking our current candles, optimizing processes and building relationships with retailers, expanding VIGYL to other categories is whats fuelling me creatively right now.
Currently, I'm exploring the concept of ‘unapologetic leisure lifestyles’, and how to bring that same Memento Mori vigor beyond candles. The VIGYL journey began with candles, and home fragrance will always be core to the brand, but my mission is to ‘snuff the boring in everyday objects.
Where to Purchase Vigyl
Vigyl is currently available online at www.vigyl.ca
Follow them on IG here.
About Jake
Jake Bell is a content marketing strategist based in NYC. He specializes in branding, art direction, creative strategy, content creation, and making things cool.
To get in touch visit www.jb.studio
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