Collection 34

10.02.2017
full-collection-242017

Collection 34 is celebrating its anniversary with plenty of sparkle! It has been four years since diptyque unveiled this delightfully varied collection at the beginning of the school year; a set that brings together eaux de parfum and a bazaar of scented items skilfully made by master craftsmen including glassmakers, crystal-makers, ceramists, designers and graphic designers…

diptyque are perfumers, this is the beating heart of the company and the vocation of the House. But as a set, Collection 34 brings a certain spirit to life, expresses certain qualities that invite people to share staunch affinities with craftsmanship specialists.
This spirit harks back to the early days of diptyque, when the company’s founders found items made by craftsmen whom they respected during their travels in far flung lands and brought them back to sell in their shop. The boutique at 34 boulevard Saint Germain became an elegant Capernaum for aesthetes and a jumble sale for enlightened travellers, at the heart of which the three friends sold their textile creations featuring patterns they had designed themselves.
The spirit evoked is one defined by curiosity, a sense of fantasy, self-assured good taste that relies on the eye and listens to intuition, and a deep respect of handmade items crafted with care and skill.
Affinities with craftspeople were also strong and nurtured from the very early days of diptyque. Bonds of trust have always played a part in the company’s creative history.
Collection 34, in a new House context, endeavours to bring these founding traits to life, by reinventing themes from back in the day (for example in graphic patterns) with the collaboration of conscientious artisans who are convinced that attention, time and concord triumph over dispersion, haste and volume. The items subsequently crafted are exclusive to diptyque shops and limited in quantity.

Collection 34 exudes the idea of surprise: every object in it is startling and ready to astonish. In a nutshell, it is a hotbed of great gift ideas. It is with this in mind that the craftspeople collaborating on this collection worked together to suggest pretty items that are lovely to look at; finely crafted; to be used on a daily basis and that discreetly nurture the bond between the person giving the gift and the giftee. These items would accompany the eaux de parfums.
But when it comes to surprises, mum’s the word! Just enough to make you drool: candleholders crafted by master glassmakers, some richly coloured ones by Vincent Breed who fuses minerals within the glass and uses ancient glass-blowing techniques, or the Nineveh twists of those designed by Jean-Marc Gady, as well as items created cristal-maker Waltersperger who borrows from the inventor Fresnel; a variety of ceramic candle stands and candle snuffers featuring colourful diptyque patterns dating back to the early years; decorative glass balls that diffract the light and create shimmer and shine; a wax vase inspired by a vase collection from the Medici family; fabric pouches initially created for perfume bottles now suitable for other purposes (as desired)… Perfume-wise, the four eaux de parfum (Kimonanthe, Eau Mage, Ôponé and Benjoin Bohème) of course, plus a new candle, and finally two new perfumed items with a baroque twist: a series of colourful glass tubes blown by Laurence Brabant containing perfumed paper, and a diffuser containing perfumed paper rolls…

This review does not cover the colour, feel, charm and scent of these items. And that’s the whole point of Collection 34, born of curiosity and designed for the curious, a casual invention that came about as a result of talented people and made to surprise and delight… This is diptyque at its most unusual and craft-led. No random elements here, but a bazaar to be reckoned with!