By Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 2/17/21 – Anne Fletcher is a one-of-a-kind artist who has an exceptional sense of interior design. As a refined French woman, she loves a good glass of wine and like most of us, the pandemic left her more time to wonder about what was essential in her life and a new way to put all her love, passion, and energy into.
That’s how she started her project, Unwined L.A. Studio, all by herself during the summer.
She’s been living in Los Angeles since 1993 and when the idea came to her to create high-quality candles out of empty wine bottles, she immediately engaged with her local community, neighbors, restaurants, and friends for them to get involved and donate their empty bottles of wine.
She and her family have always been strong environmental advocates, and this new venture represents everything that she is and what she strives for: eco-friendly high-quality product, tasteful design, and giving back to the community.
Once she had this idea, she didn’t stop there. She learned how to cut glass and the entire process of creating the perfect candles. She had precise ideas of the materials she wanted to use and had to adapt and discover a new “savoir-faire” every step of the way.
She contacted glass specialists for their advice and the tools to use, as well as glass artists for their guidance and techniques.
From the candles to the tags attached, the gift bags, and the dust covers added as a final touch, everything is tasteful, carefully selected, and made with care and attention.
Anne Fletcher spared no details from the design to the selection of each scent.
In only a few months she mastered the art of turning wine bottles into sustainable home décor objects and created her brand: Unwined L.A. Studio
Determined to do something positive for the environment, and bring something beautiful in our homes, Anne Fletcher is dedicated to prioritizing the planet while offering a sophisticated sensory experience. “We take pride in upcycling bottles into one-of-a-kind wood-wick vegan candles. We collect bottles from our local community, cut and polish them one at a time and hand pour a premium wax blend of natural soy and coconut in very small batches.”
Anne continues to seek more ways to reduce our impact on the environment with new sustainable options in order to grow her approach and open Unwined L.A. Studio to more territories. “The candles can be shipped nationwide, and are also available for curbside pickup in the LA area. We love what we do and hope to develop many relationships and partnerships!”
Unwined L.A. Studio is committed to donating 10% of annual profits to a local non-profit organization that focuses on programs towards a zero-waste lifestyle.
If you wish to participate in her venture and donate your empty bottles, Anne is currently creating The Club Program: “We will be offering a seasonal membership to our UnWined LA Studio Club! At the beginning of each new season, you will receive one candle that best represents the fragrances of the season, while still having the option to stock up on your favorite scents all year long. This is the best way to experience a varied selection of fragrances – perhaps falling in love with scents you wouldn’t otherwise have chosen!”
Follow UnWined L.A. Studio and get inspired too!
https://www.unwinedlastudio.com
Made in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA
About UnWined L.A. Studio
We created Unwined L.A. Studio with the motivation of upcycling existing glass bottles into sustainable home décor objects. We are focusing on candles and plan to develop other creations in the future. Our top priority is to deliver unique and ethical products.
Our unique candle vessels
We enjoy very much the organic process that starts with drinking a wide selection of wines, Champagne, liquor, and various other drinks. As much as we love this first step, our own consumption does not suffice for our production needs! We collect empty bottles from our neighbors and friends in Mar Vista, CA, and adjacent local communities. We clean, cut, and polish the edges of each bottle, one at a time to ensure a superior level of craftsmanship – all from our Mar Vista workshop.
Our wax
We tested several waxes and decided on the cleanest and most sustainable wax we could find. We use a vegan blend of natural soy and coconut which has a creamy white appearance. It is gluten-free, toxin-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, and comes from renewable sources.
Our wooden wicks
We love the distinct crackling sound of a wooden wick when burning – we believe they create more ambiance. They don’t “mushroom” the way cotton wicks do, which means minimal carbon buildup and minimal debris and sooting with the proper care. Our wooden wicks are sourced from FSC certified mills and manufactured in the USA, guaranteeing a natural and eco-friendly option.
Our fragrances
We source sophisticated fragrances that are all phthalate-free and created using a combination of natural fragrance oils and pure essential oils from around the globe.
Our labels and packaging
Our dust covers, safety, and product labels are made from recycled Kraft cards.
The twine we use to secure the fragrance label is made up of 100% natural jute twine which is bio-degradable and 100% eco-friendly.
Our product boxes and bags are made from recycled material and the protective paper packaging we use is 100% biodegradable and sustainable.
https://www.unwinedlastudio.com
Made in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA
The process:
We collect empty bottles from our neighbors and friends in Mar Vista, CA, and adjacent local communities. We clean, cut, and polish the edges of each bottle, one at a time to ensure a superior level of craftsmanship – all from our Mar Vista workshop.
We sort the cut bottles by size and place the appropriate wooden wick at the bottom of each bottle. We then hand-pour a premium blend of natural soy and coconut wax into each bottle, in very small batches, one fragrance at a time.