Designer Spotlight - AULI
Once you catch the scent of AULI, you won't be able to resist getting one for yourself. Founder Aakanksha Sharma created AULI to fill your living spaces with irresistable auromas. She believes that 'Perfume is an invisible art of essense, always stylish, invisible and thoughtful'.
Inspired by the 'Valley of Flowers' in the Himalayas, she sources exceptionally fresh, raw materials to create the perfect aura of smell. AULI also carries on the age old tradition of storytelling through the different scents. Each one triggers a memory, whether it be your childhood playground, your home or your summer getaway.
Through this interview with Aakanksha, we'll get to know a bit more about her, why homeware is such an important element in the household and a more in-depth understanding into the origins of AULI.
Auli's unique Interior Perfume - £38
Curated Crowd: What does the word AULI mean?
Aakanksha Sharma: AULI is a high-altitude valley of flowers in Himalayas. It is called Bugyal in local language that literally means ‘nature’s own garden’. The valley has more than 500 species of rare plants and flower species which creates a huge variety of colour and scents in the summer.
CC : What inspired you to start AULI?
AS: I was born and brought up in Auli. Growing up so closely with nature has been a big influence. It was a simple place with a touch of romanticism and magic in everything.
Later on, I travelled across several places around the world and realised that I was most drawn the scents of my surroundings, both urban and nature. Nature was familiar, as it was home; and urban was a new experience. It was so fascinating how one smell can communicate different things to different people.
This, in turn, inspired us to create fragrances for spaces that are built around stories, unique and beautiful, always open to interpretation. We wanted to create something that can merge the untouched natural world of Auli bugyal with the inspiration that comes from art, fashion and the unknown. That’s why we ended up calling it AULI- The Invisible Artist.
Auli's 100% natural, vegan candle - £48
CC: Why is homeware, in your opinion, so important?
AS: Homeware is a way to express how your personality and style influence your home, and how you live with yourself and people around you. We are becoming increasingly aware and conscious of our spaces and spending more time at home. Therefore, these thoughtful additions make everyday experiences more meaningful and it gives your home that comforting feel to it. A spark of fire and fragrance along with right lighting can transform any space.
CC: Every single AULI product has a story behind it, are they personal to you, or are they imagined stories that were triggered from the scent of the product?
AS: When we begin working on a collection, there’s always a character and a story that we have in mind. This could be someone we've met or a place we've been to, or sometimes just an imagined idea. We love the plurality and fluidity of this process, there's no one story that fits all. That’s the reason why people say, ‘it smells so different but I know it’.
Auli Diffuser - £52 ; Auli Candle - £48
CC: What sets AULI apart from other homeware brands?
AS: For us, it's not about fitting in with any trend. Our goal is to create products that are timeless, yet new and unique. It's all about the details, being authentic, and connecting with our customers. Our products are loaded with high quality, natural ingredients. Our candles are vegan and made of 100% natural wax, but ultimately, it’s our creative process that ties everything together, it's at the heart of everything we do. Creating experiences through our fragrances and a desire to create something authentic is what influences all our decisions.
A lot of thought goes into our packaging as well. For example, we wanted to work with a very specific shade of black for our vessels and bottles. However, we ended up using a dark midnight blue, as the inspiration came from the midnight summer sky in Valley of flowers when we were camping there.
The signature midnight blue packaging of Auli
CC: How do you go about sourcing the raw materials?
AS: We have the freedom to source unique and high-quality raw material as we create our products in small batches. Our fragrances are made of exceptional natural ingredients that come from across the world from specific suppliers, such as our Frankincense coming from a co-op in Somalia.
CC: What is the process of creating the perfect aroma for your living space?
AS: It is use of right products to create that perfect ambience. Lighting up a candle can fill your space with a scent you appreciate and create a sanctuary to relax in; while using a diffuser will make sure you always have pleasant vibes around the house at all times.
We've created a unique diffusing system, a combination of a spray and ceramico (a perfume diffusing disk). When sprayed onto the surface, the ceramico retains the fragrance and evaporates over time so you can experience consistent wafts of the scent.
The beautiful and simple Auli boxes that your products arrive in
CC: Is there a new collection you’re working on?
AS: We currently have four fragrances in our collection, which we have launched over the last year. All of them are pretty new but we are always working on new ideas, it's all very exciting!
CC: Last but not least, is there one AULI product that is your favourite and would use in your own living space?
AS: I love all four of the fragrances in our current collection, but if I had to choose one, it’d be the C-34/2 candle and room spray. That was our first fragrance and is influenced by my childhood in Auli. It has a relaxed energy to it that works well any time of the day.
Click here to shop the full collection.
