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The garden of Charlie McCormick, surrounding the charming parsonage in Dorset that he calls home, is alive with scents of tomato leaf, thyme and cucumber that waft from somewhere other than the gardener’s vegetable patch. Deceptively, the Loewe outdoor candles lining the pathways are to thank.
Loewe’s Home Scents collection comprises 13 olfactory plant portraits created by the brand’s creative director Jonathan Anderson in partnership with in-house perfumier, Nuria Cruelles. From the handcrafted ceramic vessels to the scents, each aspect draws upon the raw and authentic essences of a vegetable garden. Three new fragrances join the collection: orange blossom, thyme and geranium. Reminiscent of Andalucian springtime, the orange blossom candle comes in various iterations, including three varying sizes for indoors, a wax scented candle holder and a room spray. The thyme and geranium, known for their anti-mosquito qualities, also come as outdoor candles, boasting an extra-large surface area and four wicks that both ensure maximum fragrance in the open air.
In an unusual but successful meeting of minds, Charlie McCormick is the star of Loewe’s new fragrance campaign. His garden leans towards the wild side, punctuated by neat edges. In the meadows below the house, roses, sweet peas, catmint and alliums are blooming; meanwhile in the vegetable garden, as the soil warms up under the summer sun, cabbages, kohlrabis, brassicas and salads thrive, and in the greenhouse, tomatoes and cucumbers are just getting going. After a bout of early rain this year, followed swiftly by a dry patch, ‘everything is looking its best right at this very moment.’
‘I love the smell of the roses, philadelphus and pinks as I brush past them,’ Charlie explains. ‘Not to mention the scent of freshly cut hay that’s drawn in from the surrounding landscape.’ As he speaks on the scents of both his plot and the candles, his garden and his green-fingered passion for the outdoors, we naturally touch on the memories that led him down this path. Gardening as a pursuit seems almost synonymous with nostalgia. Perhaps it's the sheer satisfaction of watching something grow from seed to bloom, or the sensory associations we make with our favourite plants, but we all can find solace in our gardens.
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‘My first introduction to gardening was very early, and I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, two very keen gardeners,’ he adds. I grew up on a farm in New Zealand, and their farm was just up the road. Granddad loved to grow vegetables, and grandma loved trees and rhododendrons. They had a truly mutual love of gardening and it was infectious.’
For Charlie, Loewe’s candles, in particular the tomato leaf and cucumber, rouse sentimental memories from his grandparents’ eden. This is where the brand’s home scents truly shine, as they evoke visceral reactions without relying on artificial perfumes or overpowering chemicals.
