Earlier in 2024, Frank and Kathleen met up again to discuss the finished fragrance they created together.
Kathleen: Frank, we started working on this nine years ago, what do you remember about creating it?
Frank: A few things. I received a box one day with all kinds of little presents, and it was really cool. And you know what? I don’t think that ever happened to me before. So there was a little necklace made of wood…
Kathleen: Sandalwood.
Frank: That’s right. And there was a book. The whole story of your family.
Kathleen: My mother’s memoir (A World Overturned).
Frank: Yes. So I was able to immerse myself in some of the world you were trying to capture. We talked about some ingredients, the things you like, the things you don’t like, things you thought could be part of the fragrance story. And then I started putting them together.
Kathleen: I also sent you a book of photographs, because you had asked me about what colours I saw. And I wanted that raw mix of things you get in Myanmar, the neon lights next to the gold leaf, next to that teak wooden furniture or those little plastic stools everywhere.. And what I love is that you have made a fragrance that doesn’t feel like a fine fragrance. It has a really nice, slightly unfinished quality that isn’t too perfect. For me, it captures that special sort of humour and happiness and all the imperfections that make us human, in a very perfect way.
Frank: Yes exactly. And I was also thinking about this, there’s a little bit of rawness to it. Often when we work on fragrance development we tend to polish off anything that sticks out or that sets itself apart. But that’s a very dangerous thing, because of course, while you want some type of harmony and balance within a fragrance, it doesn’t mean there can’t be things that can, you know, make you think a bit, to help you discover something every time you go back to it. I like that very much, because it lets you discover a new facet of a fragrance.