Scents of Belonging is a scented candle range created by Earl of East in collaboration with Uncommon Creative Studio. Released ahead of Refugee Week 2021, the profits from every candle sold were donated to Choose Love to help those fleeing war, persecution and climate change.

The three candles in the range were inspired by the testimonies of three refugees living in Britain. Hand poured in London by Earl of East, each scent captures the essence of home for Imad, Majid and Vanessa. Imad’s scent of his mother’s cluttered kitchen is portrayed through crushed mint, cumin, tomato leaf and ­tobacco smoke. Majid’s memory of sleeping on a rooftop with his siblings under the starry night sky in Mashhad is brought to life with roses, firewood, basil and night-blooming jasmine. The final fragrance centres around Vanessa’s grandmother’s garden, with aromas of fresh rain, sugar cane, pineapple leaves and hibiscus flowers.

The packaging for the candles is designed to emphasise each individual location of home using ­complementary pastel colours and featuring the geographical coordinates for each place. The design also includes a symbol of a candle wick turned upside down to reflect the image of a pin-point icon highlighting a specific location on a map.

To promote the project, BAFTA-winning Syrian filmmaker and rights activist Hassan Akkad created a power­ful launch film, featuring Imad, Majid and Vanessa describing the people and places they miss most from the lives they’ve been forced to flee.

Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio