MAKER PROFILEWax Atelier
Organic wax products
It was while they were teaching at Central St Martins that Lola Lely and Yesenia Thibault-Picazo became fascinated by the possibilities of wax. They both taught on the postgraduate Material Futures course and despite being from different disciplines of design, ‘Yesenia and I were intrigued by wax,’ says Lely. ‘We saw it as this prehistoric natural plastic.’  While  they each have their own studios and practices, Lely and Thibault-Picazo launched Wax Atelier in 2017, in order to revisit traditional techniques using natural wax.

This has evolved to experimenting with sustainable methods, such as creating natural dyes for their candles, textiles and paper products. Their use of green tea yielded a lovely spectrum of shades in their latest collection, spanning from dark mossy hues to a light sage tone.

Their ranges have expanded to include more natural, organic materials and environmentally safe processes that involve the least amount of wastage. Their paper products and beeswax wraps, for example, are coated using surplus wax from their candles and dyed using plant-based pigments. Currently they are experimenting with wax paper to create a range of ethereal outdoor lanterns.

Their ethos of sustainability and collaboration has led to a new venture with Participatory City, a charitable
social enterprise in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. Invited to join their ‘Every One Every Day’ programme (which seeks to regenerate the area through local community engagement and sharing skills), Lely and Thibault-Picazo were planning to set up a production space at the Every One Every Day Warehouse – an old newspaper mill – and initiate the Wax Atelier Cooperative. They had just about moved equipment out of their Hackney studio when the pandemic struck. ‘But all is not lost,’ says Lely. To their surprise, ‘the residents have really taken to their online workshops. We are now setting up an online workers’ cooperative’.
This month, a return to hands-on training will lead to production and manufacturing at the warehouse. All profits will then be reinvested back into the business for research, development, employment and marketing.

‘The area actually had a rich manufacturing heritage,’ says Lely.  ‘All kinds of everyday objects were made here – soaps, paintbrushes, baskets, tin products too. So there’s a real synergy there – to create, to make. ‘We want to challenge that exclusivity of craft,’ she continues. ‘By involving people and training them, we are trying to make it more inclusive.’

During the lockdown, Wax Atelier had another surprise – a momentous uptick in sales of their multipurpose wraps and candles. ‘I think our products may have resonated more due to the current circumstances,’ Lely reflects. ‘There’s a special sense in purposeful, intentional action. In lighting a candle versus flipping a switch. It’s comforting.’

Future collaborations are planned with ethical fashion brands such as Toast and Ssōne, exploring sustainable packaging. They are also working with KahlWax, a German based lab, and a British supplier, H Foster, continuing their innovations with plant-derived wax blends.

These candles will have colours and scents derived entirely from the plants themselves. Already new colours include some wonderful shades of blue, resulting from their experiments with woad. They have also collaborated with a soap brand to create travel soap sets with their linen wraps. For Wax Atelier, it’s about pushing the true potential of a bespoke skill, into real opportunities for everyone. As Lely says, ‘Craft doesn’t have to be just about beauty.’

waxatelier.com; available at the Hole & Corner shop; holeandcorner.com; participatorycity.org/about
WORDS JAYA MODI