A Particular Mood

Moro Dabron is a brand that eludes simple definition. Conceived by London-based designers Austin Moro and Eliza Dabron, the creative partnership launched a collection of twin-handled candle vessels and perfumes in December 2020. But Moro Dabron is also the evocation of a particular mood, the cultivation of a finely wrought kind of beauty.

Four years ago, Dabron and Moro met at Alex Eagle Studio in Soho, London, and it was soon clear that they shared an affinity for interiors. After deciding to start the brand together, they began sharing images on social media — Moro in the mornings; Dabron in the evenings — of whatever was captivating their attention. Many of the images share a neoclassical sensibility, with inspiration spanning Renaissance paintings to modern-day floral arrangements. Pierre Boncompain’s still-life mangoes sit alongside Ebony Truscott’s peaches; Josef Albers’ leaf studies complement the gold earrings in Sheila Metzner’s Fresson prints, while John Stefanidis’ shell-speckled windowsill accompanies Axel Vervoordt’s dilapidated minimalism. “It was almost like a journal for us, shaping the briefs for the scents,” Moro says.

They set out to make candles and fragrances that reflected their ardent interest in interiors, and cite the vases created at the Fulham Pottery by renowned floral expert, Constance Spry, as their chief inspiration. After each candle has burnt out, the vessels are intended to be repurposed as keepsakes for flower stems, with the insides glazed so they can hold water. Moro describes the entire process of the product’s realisation, from working with the 3D-renderer who brought their sketches to life, to the intricate details of mould-making and slip-casting at a Stoke-on-Trent pottery. The pair’s affinity with scent feels Proustian, embedded in a passion for the way fragrance evokes emotion and memory; their fascination lies in trying to capture and bottle these elusive moments and feelings. They looked at Vita Sackville-West’s writing room at Sissinghurst Castle, for example, and imagined what it smelled like. “We wanted to fragrance an interior,” explains Dabron. “Vita’s writing room is covered in tapestries, so you know it has to be a bit musky; then there’s the period wood on the floor, and the fresh flowers she had from her garden. We made mood boards for our perfumers, which was perhaps a bit annoying for them,” she laughs.

“There’s a certain austerity to the scents we love, but also a warmth,” says Moro. “We appreciate a bygone era where things were made with care and attention.” This is an approach they have adopted in their own craftsmanship: “It took us three years to perfect all those scents; a year each for each one,” Dabron remarks. There’s an understated progression in each fragrance that feels cyclical, almost seasonal. The first, Augustine, leans toward the monastic – “Wood, things being made well, and tradition,” Moro proffers. Cyrus draws on these woody elements, but slips into lush greenery, feeling crisper and less cloistered. The orange blossom musk of the third scent, Of Gardens — named after Francis Bacon’s 1625 essay — is redolent of spring. Stocked by Liberty, Dabron and Moro are also making plans with shops around the globe. “This isn’t about creating as big a brand as possible, though,” Moro says. “It’s about doing things properly and in a way that feels right to us.” The pair describes Moro Dabron as the bridge between their individual tastes and sensibilities: “We just want to deliver a product that continues the conversation of what we find beautiful.”

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