VIGYL candles founder Stephen Michlits says he’s interested in bringing sexiness and complexity to the fragrance world.David Kerr/The Globe and Mail
Fortune favours the brave, and Stephen Michlits is no exception. After cutting his teeth in product development for some of Canada’s largest home-good retailers, Michlits struck out on his own to launch Vigyl, a genderless approach to contemporary candle culture. “Looking back, it was kind of a bold move,” he says.
A lifelong candle lover, Michlits’s decision to focus on the category for his business traces its origins to the stay-home orders of 2020. During a sudden craze for scented candles, Michlits found the messaging behind many of the top sellers to be simplistic and prescriptive, if not banal. “All of these brands were coming out with candles that were like, ‘Relax, sleep, energize, unwind,’” he says. “It was so safe. There was no sexiness in it, there was no fashion, there was no boundary pushing. I’m not interested in that type of fragrance experience. I like things that are more complex.”
Vigyl’s vessels mimic oil drums, a provocative aesthetic that signifies the human tradition of gathering around a flame.David Kerr/The Globe and Mail
Turning to his background in product development and design, Michlits set about creating a line that would cater to an upbeat and sophisticated crowd. Made of clean-burning, cruelty-free ingredients including soy wax and natural cotton wicks, each candle is scented with a custom formula in step with those employed by heritage European brands such as Trudon, but at a much friendlier price point. Vigyl’s attractive vessels mimic oil drums, a provocative aesthetic that signifies the human tradition of gathering around a flame and the repurposing of an industrial container form.
In 2021, Michlits launched Vigyl with Hanlan’s, a sparkling pistachio, pink pepper, tuberose and coconut blend that pays homage to the clothing-optional beach on the Toronto Islands – one of only two nude beaches in Canada – and evokes aromas of “freedom, equality and sunscreen.” In keeping with Michlits’s community-minded approach, a portion of proceeds from each Hanlan’s candle is donated to Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian charitable organization that helps LGBTQI+ people around the world find safety from persecution.
Made of clean-burning, cruelty-free ingredients including soy wax and natural cotton wicks, each candle is scented with a custom formula.David Kerr/The Globe and Mail
After catching the attention of big-name retailers such as Ssense and Indigo, Vigyl has since expanded with additional scents as well as Monume, a more accessibly priced candle collection housed in white ceramic jars. Vigyl’s success is a testament to Michlits’s dedication to inclusivity and joy; his intention is for Vigyl to celebrate the queer community, a demographic that tends to be left out of store displays at the mall. Eventually, he hopes to grow Vigyl into a full lifestyle brand.
These aspirations are part of Michlits’s connection to candles, which he points out has evolved since he started Vigyl and looked at them as a finishing touch. “I liked this idea of ritual observance and state of reflection and intention, which is what Vigyl means. My interest now is more towards what happens after,” he says, explaining that lighting a candle is actually the first step in a great night out or an evening spent entertaining. “The light is just the beginning.”
