Variety Act #11: Meet Rémy Law, Art Director and Founder of Lil smells.
Canadian-born creative, candle concepteur, Animal Crossing adventurer, and lover of good light.
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You’re reading issue number 11 of Variety Act Miami. Welcome! I’m your compère, Natalie Guevara, and yesterday I turned 35. I was blessed to receive very thoughtful gifts for my birthday, including some beautiful candles.
If you know me, you know delicious-smelling candles are important to my craft; that craft being opening my computer, writing and answering emails, and publishing this very newsletter every two weeks.
Today, I’m very excited to spotlight Rémy Law, art director and founder of Lil smells, the most memorable candles I’ve burned in quite some time. I discovered them at the Downtown Miami zine shop Dale Zine (a Variety Act Miami alum, don’t forget). I picked up the “milky fruity” candle featuring notes of mango, coconut, and citrus; it was love at first smell, and very Miami. Lil smells are original in both style and scent, but never cloying or overpowering. Quality, dahling!
For Rémy—who originally hails from Canada and, following a stretch in New York City, has been living in Miami for the past five years—what began as a passion project in the latter half of 2020 naturally evolved into a full-time hobby. One that originated with a civic component, in fact!
As she explains:
Making candles was a hobby for me and I thought that, while I was still learning, I would donate the profits to Fair Fight. It’s important for fellow non-citizens to know that while we can’t vote, we can make donations and volunteer in other ways politically, depending on visa status.
You can buy Lil smells at Dale Zine downtown or place a custom order via Instagram, @lilsmells (Rémy notes she prefers “having personal contact and dialogue with whoever orders,” so off the bat you know this ain’t no Yankee Candle conveyor belt).
Also: Keep your nostrils flared, because this year she’s planning to make Lil smells accessible in more local shops and extend the collection into a larger range of home scents and accessories, like diffusers and sprays. The atmosphere of your space will thank you!
Without further ado, here’s Rémy! Read until the end for her brilliant Miami recommendations.
MEET RÉMY LAW, ART DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF LIL SMELLS.
On her first spark for art direction and how it runs in her DNA:
In my first semester of high school, I took a film class that revolved heavily around art direction and design. (Shoutout to Mrs. Wildfong!) She collected weird movie posters and would have us analyze composition, hierarchy, and symbolism. Before that, I didn’t even realize that was a job people could do.
I studied advertising design at Pratt for one year, but couldn’t afford it anymore and really wanted to stay in the U.S.A. I switched to F.I.T and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Later, I found out that my great grandfather was a Creative Director at McCann in Toronto in the 1920s. I think his client was Wheaties cereal. But my grandmother never spoke of him because he abandoned his family for his secretary; typical ad bro cliché. He also had the same name as me.
On navigating creative industry circles in Miami versus in New York and Toronto:
The first thing I noticed working in Miami was that I didn’t have to eat lunch at my desk. I could literally leave and even have a beer with my friends and come back in an hour—or not come back if we had nothing to do that day. Maybe that’s just advertising, but the culture of taking time to enjoy life and talk shit with your friends is ingrained in Miami.
Miami is so connected, not just in a corrupt way—people are always transitioning to and from New York, so it feels like a suburb. A suburb with shittier pay and more expensive drinks. I love it here.
On the song she associates with her first year in Miami:
Probably “Nikes” by Frank Ocean since that was a pretty emo summer for me. 2016 was an incredible year for pop music and a terrible year for everything else.
On her cultural diet:
Streaming: I loved The White Lotus. The writing and the score are brilliant. I heard they’re doing a second season with a new cast and location.
I watch a lot of movies and TV; I did every movie marathon you can think of during the pandemic. The only thing I don’t watch is any type of reality dating show, and I’m getting dangerously close to being convinced.
I’ve also been going to the movie theater a lot— it’s always empty—but most of what is out right now really sucks. I just saw Reminiscence because I thought the post-apocalyptic Miami setting would make up for the terrible writing and tropes. It was painful.
Listening: It’s peak sweaty Miami summer right now, so naturally I am listening to emo pop music. Olivia Rodrigo is having me relive teenage breakup trauma.
I only really listen to funny podcasts about movies, like How Did This Get Made?, The Rewatchables, and Mummy Dearest, which was created by a Miami local and started out about Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy, a franchise I adore.
Reading: I just finished reading a book called Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, about a woman in Japan who believes it is her destiny to work in a konbini. My little brother lives in Tokyo and I was able to visit him in March 2020 right before travel stopped—the last family member I’ve been able to see since pre-pandemic. I miss him and konbini food so much, so I wanted to read something to remind me.
I just started Want Me by Tracy Clark-Flory. It’s a memoir and it’s pretty sad and I don’t know how to feel about it yet, but I do love her writing.
On the origins of Lil smells and its personal, purposeful sensibility:
When I found out that designer candles are so full of known carcinogens and still cost hundreds of dollars I was like, Um what?! I can do that...The industry is not transparent about safety at all. So I researched where to buy scents free of phthalates, and ones that adhere to California’s Prop 65 which excludes known cancer-causing ingredients. Once I found a good supplier, I spent six months learning and gathering equipment. I got a wax melter for Christmas and it really stepped up my game.
Making candles was a hobby for me and I thought that, while I was still learning, I would donate the profits to Fair Fight. It’s important for fellow non-citizens to know that while we can’t vote, we can make donations and volunteer in other ways politically, depending on visa status.
On exploring the brand identity of Lil smells and leaning into the significance of personal outlets:
I wanted them to reflect me, but also be generic enough that anyone would want them in their home. The design was based off of my old portfolio’s web design, so I just ripped myself off and rolled with it. They’re vague on purpose because the scents might evolve.
I have the most fun designing the extra shit, like matches and coasters and packing tape. In my job, things take forever to get done, and they can become unrecognizable in the process. I recently worked on a packaging campaign for Oreo Thins and it took almost a year. With my candles, it’s instant gratification.
It’s helped me be more patient at work knowing I have a creative outlet that only I control. It’s nice not to worry about design consistency or guidelines and just try new things.
On cultivating the intriguing, memorable personality of Lil smells through playful candle names, looks, and scents:
Early on, I had been making the candles for months with no names, and then I launched four to start: Moody Spicy, Citrus Tea, Woodsy Cabin, and Earthy Oak. I kept the names super vague because I wanted flexibility in case they evolved. Now I have 10 total scents. I just added a leafy green one that smells like sweetgrass, tomato leaf, basil, and vetiver.
I designed the scents with a lot of help from my fancy friends with good taste. I knew I needed a range of scents to cover the bases: a citrus, a smokey, an earthy, a woodsy, a fruity. But I generally hate sweet scents, so everything has to be balanced. I love having friends come over and play with my hundreds of scents to create custom blends, and then I test them and see if they make it into the lineup.
Something people may not know about candles is that soy wax takes two weeks to fully cure and in that time, the scent develops. If it’s too fresh, it will be really weak, no “hot throw.” Also, the first time you light a container candle, it has to burn long enough for the whole surface area of the candle to melt. Otherwise, it will just tunnel down the center... forever.
On what she’s up to at 4 pm on a Tuesday:
I’m probably on my second coffee, with my Zoom camera off, playing a few minutes of Just Dance 2021 on Nintendo Switch and calling it a workout. My workday often goes pretty late these days, so 4 pm might be lunch time.
On what she’s up to—or not—at 9 am on a Sunday:
I’m ASLEEP. I am not a morning person and I don’t even know 9 am on a weekend.
I just became friends with my amazing neighbor in the apartment directly above mine, and have been going up there for coffee and movies on weekends. She has the best dog in the world, Oskar—half Husky, half German shepherd. Her place is really beautiful and has much nicer light than mine, while my place is more of a chaotic activity zone for crafting and sitting in darkness.
On her most indelible strength as a creative:
Resourcefulness: If I don’t know something, I’ll either figure it out or find the best person for the task—and then ask them nicely to teach me.
On the other hand, I’m always hoping to grow into a proper Virgo and develop some organizational skills. I really struggle with object permanence; if something is tucked away, I forget it exists forever. So I live amongst a healthy amount of clutter.
On the Miami creatives who should be on our radar:
Milly Cohen, a funny illustrator/animator with a great style.
Gaby and Valentina of Freaks Design Co. are really talented designers.
RÉMY’S MIAMI FAVORITES.
Miami anthem (current or classic!): “Noche de Verano” by Ms Nina & Talisto.
Restaurants & bars: Over/Under! Margot! Jaguar Sun! The Corner! The Deuce! I’m old now, and I just want to be able to sit down when I go out. As for restaurants, I was going to Omakai for the omakase a lot, but I’m sad they got rid of the sake pairing.
Cafés, diners, bakeries, & ventanitas: A La Folie Café, the vibey-est spot in South Beach. The service is so French, you’ll be there for hours trying to get the check.
Cultural centers, art shops, & bookstores: Dale Zine! I need to check out Paradis Books & Bread, too.
Grooming: Mano nail salon in Midtown.
The Great Outdoors: Renting kayaks off Purdy Avenue is a fun, almost-nature experience. My fave beach will always be North Beach around 75th for the convenience and margarita accessibility.
Small businesses: The Lincoln Road Antique Market during the winter is amazing. Otherwise, it’s all about the Instagram pandemic dealers for me.
Local Miami artist, author, or performer: Jessy Nite, of course. Her new paracord tapestries are stunning.
Most delightful Miami discovery made during quarantine: Square Pie City pizza. They just got a permanent location at Time Out Market on the Beach. A must-try.
The recommendation you’ll always give to a first-time Miami visitor: Go downtown.
THANKS, RÉMY!
Follow Lil smells at @lilsmells and place a custom order if you’re allured (you will be). Burn brighter than ever.
Until next time, feliz finde!