Meet the Maker: Zavi Harman

My name is Zavi Harman, and I create candles in Richmond, Virginia. The project began during the pandemic. I’ve always loved candles and was constantly buying them to make my space smell and feel better while I was working on music, meditating, hanging out with friends, or just spending a lot more time at home. At a certain point, I decided to start experimenting with making my own. The first few I made were given as holiday gifts to friends and family, and the response was unexpectedly encouraging. That initial curiosity gradually turned into something much bigger.

What began as a creative outlet slowly evolved into zavi. Over the course of about a year, I developed the first three scents, Sun Drips, Summer Snow, and Loveless, while also figuring out what I wanted the brand to look, smell, and feel like. I was less interested in quickly producing a huge collection and more interested in developing scents I genuinely loved and creating a distinct identity around them. As the collection has grown, I’ve also wanted the candles to feel like an expression of my life and interests, pulling inspiration from the music, people, places, and memories that are meaningful to me.

zavi remains completely independent. I handle every part of the process myself, from developing scents and pouring candles to packaging, branding, fulfillment, and selling at occasional markets. Being involved in every part of the process is something I really enjoy, and it allows the brand to remain personal as it continues to grow.

At its core, I’m most interested in the intersection of scent and visual design, and how those two things can completely change the atmosphere of a space. I’ve always wanted zavi to feel considered and contemporary without becoming overly formal or self-serious.

For me, a candle can be a ritual, a design object, and something completely utilitarian all at once. It can look beautiful sitting in a room, but ultimately you light it because you want your space to smell better, feel warmer, or change the mood. There’s something I love about how such a simple object can do all of those things at once. You light a candle and the room shifts. The smell, the light, the atmosphere, the vibes. That small transformation is ultimately what I’m trying to create with this line of candles.

My website: https://www.zavismells.com/

My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zavismells/