Akara x Angarde: the collaboration of eco-responsible and minimalist s

It's all about simplicity.

The colors: Terracotta or Anthracite can match all interior decorations, the scents: Amber or Musk make the souvenir as accessible as possible. Simple, geometric shapes, which are imbued with contemporary architecture, raw and eco-responsible materials…

From this collaboration, we wanted to co-create a candle with a refined design that was meaningful, around well-being, olfactory and visual beauty. And it 's a pretty successful bet, right?

We are delighted to highlight this young brand of scented concrete candles, created in a minimalist and responsible approach and we are proud of this unique collaboration!

Who is behind Akara?

The person behind this brand is Audrey, a 26-year-old young woman. Akara is her life project, her baby. It is the story of a need for entrepreneurship around well-being, a need for transmission.

In August 2020, she decided to quit her job and create her brand: Akara was born. Very anxious by nature, she likes anything that allows her to relax and unwind, immerse herself in a cocoon: a hot tea, a blanket and lighting a candle.

It is from this observation that she wanted to create Akara: to transmit this moment of relaxation, both through the olfactory and the visual.

The manufacturing is entirely done by Audrey, from start to finish, in her workshop in Marseille.

She makes her own molds to create the concrete containers into which the candles will be poured. Audrey uses rapeseed wax, certified GMO-free, one of the most ecological on the market.

The concrete used (BUHP - Ultra High Performance Concrete) is produced using 100% local resources. The wicks are made of cotton, certified lead-free, and coated with vegetable wax for better combustion (around 20 hours for a 100g candle).

The perfumes come from Grasse, the perfume capital of France. Audrey turned to the perfumes most faithful to our memories by choosing high quality perfumes. In a family factory, produced without CMR (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, Reprotoxic) substances, without Phthalates and without animal matter, for completely vegan candles.

Everything has been thought of down to the smallest detail and without superfluous packaging. The packaging is also made in France, in Toulouse and it is recyclable . Finally, the labels are made from 100% recycled paper and bio-sourced polyethylene and are composed of 95% plant-based materials.

Audrey tells us more...

We interviewed Audrey, founder of Akara, she tells us:

S.	Where and how was the brand born?
HAS.	Akara was born in the South of France, in Marseille. It was born following a professional employee burnout. In November 2019, I was at the end of my rope, I had been wanting to take action for more than 5 years, and that day, my body made me understand that it was time to take action. A strong desire to do something with my own hands and a need to transmit what made me more serene on a daily basis and Akara was born.
S.	How do we make minimalist and responsible candles?
HAS.	Everything's in the details. I absolutely wanted to put this responsible commitment at the heart of Akara. Because ultimately, being minimalist means being responsible, we consume less, but better. We make minimalist candles avoiding anything superfluous, no coloring, no dried flowers which could be potentially dangerous. Next comes the most local and ethical raw materials possible. European rapeseed wax, GMO-free, produced on renewable soils unlike soya, perfume from Grasse, pure cotton wicks certified for greater combustion quality. For the pot, concrete produced with 100% local resources and ochres manufactured less than 90km from my workshop. Packaging made in France and a recycled paper label as well as a polyethylene label made from 95% plant-based materials.
S.	Do you work alone or with a team?
HAS.	I worked completely alone until the end of 2021. My partner had to leave his job to come help me with Akara! He helps me in particular with the entire production part. As for me, I can concentrate on everything else (photographs, maintenance of the site and sales platforms, graphics, communication, accounting, etc.) it's really a job where you have to be everywhere!
S.	What do you like to share with your community?
HAS.	I really like sharing architectural inspirations, object design, responsible craftsmanship, but also everything related to well-being. The goal is to be myself on social networks.
S.	If you had to choose just one candle from your collection, which one would it be? And why ?
HAS.	It's not a candle that is on sale "directly", I often win it through competitions. This is the Terrazzo candle, this technique which consists of embedding stones inside the concrete to bring them out when polishing the pot. I love the look that Terrazzo can have because the stones are all different, the result is never really the same, which makes the object unique. But it requires a lot of work so it’s a candle that I very rarely offer.
S.	The most beautiful step you have taken?
HAS.	The most beautiful step I have taken is to have created Akara! To allow as many people as possible to be able to relax without wondering if the object corresponds to their eco-responsible values. Have fun without concessions.
S.	Any plans for the future?
HAS.	Quite ! Firstly and very soon, put the wax refills online. Because beyond the purpose of the candle in a concrete pot, it must be able to be reused endlessly. Still in this commitment, both responsible and economical, wax refills are ideal for reusing your concrete pot and enjoying a candle at a more affordable price. Secondly, I would like to be able to offer the recycling of concrete pots which could be broken following incorrect handling. I would also like my concrete mix to be made up of more than 50% recycled concrete. I could never reach 100% because recycled concrete is only in the form of aggregate. So I need a binder to be able to produce an object. However, using as much recycled concrete as possible seems to me to be the logical continuation of this responsible commitment, and if possible from local construction waste. Using rainwater collected at or near my workshop is also part of my long-term projects!

The collaboration Akara x Angarde is the choice between two 100g scented candles (20 hours of burning): Terracotta Amber fragrance or Anthracite Musk fragrance, in rapeseed wax and concrete, hand-cast in France, at the price of €39.

We opted for a minimalist design where we simply affixed our brandmark in screen printing on the candle.

The little extra?

Once the candle is finished, the concrete can be recycled. Pencil pot, jewelry pot, flower pot, it's up to you and your creativity to choose! #lifeisaloop

And since good news never comes alone...

On the occasion of the launch and Valentine's Day, we're organizing a competition and we'll give you a candle from the collab', to rekindle the flame or make it burn even brighter...

Visit our Instagram account to participate. Competition until 06.02.22

Akara x Angarde candles , €39

akara.fr

@akarafr - @angarde