Creator Corner : TRUDON
“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”
Sometime around visit three or four, after seeing most of the top-tourist iconic landmarks in Paris, I started digging deeper into the city. By putting my hobbies first and then deeply researching the history, makers, and locations that matched those interests, I fell down a French rabbit hole.
Narrow, empty alleys, obscure addresses, hidden locations, and doors I walked by a hundred times turned Paris into a treasure map. And I have found the most amazing places by not using others' reused and repurposed lists but by searching out my heart amongst the artisans and curators in ma belle ville.
I decided to visit a perfume house near Rue Montorgueil on one such excursion. I was trying not to be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude (and prices) of their offerings in their beautiful shop. As I explored, I found an area towards the back that featured the most exquisite glass candles. Each glass is unique and hand-crafted in Tuscany. Their shape is inspired by champagne buckets.
The Trudon emblem is inspired by a bas relief found at the old Royal Wax Manufacture, which used to belong to the Trudon family. Situated in Antony, near Paris, it now belongs to the Church. Nowadays, the domain hosts the nuns of the Saint-Joseph de Cluny congregation.
I lifted the glass cloche of one in particular, and I was instantly transported to Notre Dame de Paris, many years before the fire. I was in my favorite stiff, wooden chair, about ten rows back from the altar, next to the cool, stone pillar where I would tuck myself in for mid-day service.
"Spiritus Sancti," according to Trudon, has "bursts of purple, gold, and olibanum, heady and sacristan scents of candles, luxurious trails of censers and incense burners where amber crackles: under the nave of a cathedral, the jubilant choir, the divine scents rise to the soul."
And thus began my neverending love and journey for the brand, Trudon. Little did I know that this company has such a long history to share.
1643 – Claude Trudon becomes the owner of a shop on rue Saint-Honoré. There he developed a business as a grocer and wax maker.
1702 – Michel Brice Péan de Saint Gilles founded the Manufacture d'Antony for laundering waxes and making candles.
1719 – The manufacturer becomes Manufacture Royale.
1737 – Heir to Trudon, Jérôme Trudon bought the Manufacture Royale des Cires, located in Antony. The manufacturer innovates and perfects its art of making perfectly white beeswax candles. Its motto becomes "DEO REGIQUE LABORANT," which means: "They work for God and the King," "they" being the bees.
1811 – The factory has supplied the imperial court since the beginning of the Empire. When his son "L'Aiglon" was born, Napoleon ceremoniously offered him a candle from the factory encrusted with gold coins in his effigy.
1889 – The Carrière Frères company, which took over the manufacture in 1884, continues and perfects the already centuries-old know-how of the Trudons.
2007 – At the crossroads between know-how and history, Trudon scented candles were born.
2018 – The company chose to make a financial commitment to a biodiversity conservation initiative alongside the Parc du Perche. In partnership with the Conservatoire de l'Abeille Noire de l'Orne, Maison Trudon works to protect the endemic European black bee, today greatly threatened by intensive agriculture and industrial beekeeping. A meaningful partnership when you know that since 1643, the House's motto has been: "Deo regique laborant," which means "they (the bees) work for God and the King."
Committed, Maison Trudon participates directly and financially in the establishment and operation of the conservatory. Also, 4% of sales of the Cire candle are donated to the project.
While certainly an investment, the classic size candle burns 55 to 60 hours. After the initial burn, which should take about three hours in a non-drafty environment, I can burn the candle for only one hour, and its fragrance is entirely throughout the immediate spaces, lingering gently for quite some time.
My favorite fragrances are ABD EL KADER, CYRNOS, ERNESTO, JOSEPHINE, and SOLIS REX.
Trudon keeps things new and fresh by putting out seasonal collections as well. They have stores internationally in the United States (New York) and Australia (Sydney) and shipping throughout the EU.
