Imagined Utopias: Candles invoke a better world

Presented in matte black containers, the Utopia candles take inspiration from architect Le Corbusier, who wrote about The City of Tomorrow, Henry David Thoreau, who famously returned to nature in Walden, and Plato, whose version of Utopia was entitled The Republic.

‘Contemplating Utopias restores and re-invigorates us by helping us to focus on what things could, and might, one day be like,’ explains The School of Life. ‘Lighting the candle creates a moment in which we are able to reframe, and gain perspective over, some of the problems of our world today.’

Each candle’s scent is inspired by the themes of the books. The Republic candle, for instance, evokes reason, calm and order, using warm notes such as cardamom, nutmeg and black pepper.