La Vela candles. Courtesy of La Vela
La Vela candles. Courtesy of La Vela
La Vela candles. Courtesy of La Vela
La Vela candles. Courtesy of La Vela

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Luxury, ecological soy candles from La Vela

Lakshimi Sukumaran wanted a more natural, safe and long-lasting alternative to what she was finding on the market.

Helen McLaughlin

March 15, 2012

  • English
  • Arabic

My interest in candles started as a curiosity. I wanted to find out more about what went inside them. Why were some better than others and how could I make it more natural? I have always loved walking into a beautifully fragranced environment or having the warm glow of a candle to set the ambience for entertaining or a relaxed night in, so I wanted luxury long-lasting candles that are also pure and safe to burn.

I started up the business two years ago, three years after moving here from Melbourne. I source all the ingredients myself and assemble them here in Dubai. The candles are crafted using natural, ecologically sound ingredients that include soy wax and 100 per cent natural cotton wicks.

Everyone's different when it comes to their favourite fragrances. Most vanilla-based fragrances are popular - vanilla sweet pea, vanilla musk and vanilla sandalwood. My favourites change depending on my mood and the occasion: orange blossom, lemon grass and green tea or a classic like French lavender.

It's satisfying to know that people appreciate the quality of the product and know the story behind the candle. The highlight of this business for me so far has been meeting some fantastic and inspiring people along the way and building relationships.

We also produce a range of personalised candles and work closely with the wedding and event planners Carousel with these. I'm now working on bespoke wedding favours and products for baby and bridal showers.

A great local business I recommend to people is Vintage Bloom, which sells fabulous floral arrangements. They also run workshops on how to create your own. My other favourite local businesses include O Concept, S*uce, O'de Rose, Ayesha Depala and the lovely Dinz sisters.

La Vela candles are available at O'de Rose, O Concept, Zen Yoga and Maison Sez. For all personalised candles and inquiries, email lakshmi@lavelacandles.com or visit the La Vela Candle page on Facebook.

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Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: ten-speed

Power: 420bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: Dh325,125

On sale: Now

TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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