Bespoke: the future of natural fragrances

Published Aug 15, 2016

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Tammy Frazer established the internationally recognised African luxury brand, Frazer Parfum.

She is the granddaughter of Graham Wulff, who invented Oil of Olay in his home laboratory in Durban in 1952.

Inspired by the possibilities of this legacy, and determined to establish viable African luxury fragrances, she abandoned her corporate career in Australia and returned to South Africa to begin creating hand-crafted and beautifully packaged perfumes from her Cape Town workshop and studio. Frazer Parfum is now sold across the globe.

Her scents have been awarded “Best In Show” at New York Fashion Week and were named one of 10 finalists in the annual “Art and Olfaction” awards for artisanal and independent perfumers, but her love of scent as a medium also includes art. Frazer’s “Skin Portraits”, an exploration of scent portraiture, was catalogued by The Smithsonian Museum of African Art as the first-ever scent “novella”.

Omeshnie Naidoo chatted to Frazer, who was in Durban this week

Is it true that a fragrance can lure the opposite sex?

I think fragrance plays a part in who you want to be perceived to be. It is an emotional, maybe even spiritual, accessory. Just as what you wear, or a smear of plump, red lipstick and a lick of mascara enhances who you are by highlighting how you feel, so can the invisible fragrance speak to who you are. And that will attract someone who understands your intrigue.

What is a bespoke fragrance?

It is a unique, signature scent designed for an individual, and based on in-depth consultation and learning. The bespoke journey is a series of private consultations charting the client’s scent history and influences, and exploring the true essence of both frequently used and rare botanicals. It is about creating your own scent brand, as an expression of self, or given as a unique gift of love.

How do you go about making your perfumes?

Each perfume is composed at a particular time in my life inspired by expeditions travelling to the source of the raw materials. My fragrance, Namibia, involved a trip to a village in north-west Kunene, in Namibia, the second-least populated land area on earth. There, I set up trade with the Himba tribe and spent time documenting the omumbiri plant that is the primary note in the fragrance. Also understanding the landscape, and how it is harvested. I take a lot of photographs and look for cues to influence the fragrance composition. All of this is then inspiration when I’m back in the lab transforming my experience into a fragrance. My fragrance, Namibia, was a Top 10 finalist for the Golden Pear award in the Los Angeles Art and Olfaction Awards for 2016.

How would you describe the scents you create/ capture?

The Frazer Parfum African Collection is inspired by raw materials sourced on the continent. We are abundant with resins, found in hardy desert environments, so these citrusy fresh resinous tones form the heart of each of the fragrances in my African Collection. The French have their complex floral style, the British are a traditional cologne breed, while Asian fragrances are typically watery (think of Issy Miyake scents). American fragrances tend to be ozonic and fruity (think Tommy Hilfiger). I wanted the collection to define a style of fragrances that is truly African.

What are the challenges you face?

If you can frame your mind to consider that my business is part of agribusiness, the challenges are what most farmers face. Supply and demand of something grown in nature is heavily reliant on the weather, and with the logistical problems of moving things to and from remote regions. Quality, too, can be affected. There are also challenges like understanding the market and trends, but not just being a slave to fashion. It pains me to say it, but I do face the challenge of being a woman in business, where outdated traditions sometimes remain, and where businessmen sometimes treat Frazer Parfum as though it’s a hobby or a folly, not an established business with an international track record. In a market where we expect to have instant products, the growing of certain raw materials takes time. I’ve been working with a bespoke client on a rose project where we are in year four and still not yet yielding an oil from the crop.

Your packaging is gorgeous, artisanal and has an air of African luxury. Please tell us about it.

I have always believed in Africa as a source of artisanal innovation and beauty. Facets of all of my perfumes are handmade by leading African artists to aid industry development of local fine art, culture, design and entrepreneurship. I believe that luxury is not just about fashion, and never about purchases bought on a whim. It is about longevity. True luxury is about sustainability. It is about cherishing, nurturing workmanship, beauty, traditions – and it is about appreciation. It is not about the disposable or throw away. This is signified by the use of exquisite artistic design, craftsmanship and quality delivered with personal service.

Your perfumes are available in Europe, North America, UK, Ukraine, Oceania, Nigeria and South Africa. Can you name some of your celeb clients?

Sophie Dahl wears Chapter Seven with rose and tuberose. Ellen Pompeo from Grey’s Anatomy wears Chapter Three with coffee and orange blossom. I was lucky enough to be able to give a fragrance to John Malkovich, which he liked!

The Sultan of Oman instructed his personal buyer to commission me to deliver my entire range – six bottles of each – so that he had the range in each of his residential palaces. Anna Freemantle, who is the new face of Pringle, and who founded Edinburgh International Fashion Week, is one of my bespoke clients. I also have bespoke clients who are respected figures in hospitality, advertising, the arts and global technology companies who prefer their anonymity.

I’ve heard from a friend of Cindy Crawford that she wears my fragrance.

You could live anywhere in the world, why here?

I’ve lived on three continents and, when I came home, I noticed a fundamental difference. Here in Africa, we start with a problem needing to be solved. We don’t compare with others. Instead, we connect to the people who can do things and make things, and we invent. This is African alchemy.

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