SCENTS OF BELONGING

Creating wine involves a very careful consideration of produce, timing, aromas and a touch of alchemy. To compose perfume, the combination is similar. So for Frances Shoemack, the transition from NZ winemaker to creator of a fine fragrance company seemed logical. Launching Abel fragrances in her adopted home of Amsterdam where she lives with her husband and children, Shoemack called on some very Kiwi resolve to ensure her vision for a chic, all-natural company was a success. Securing the services of master perfumer Isaac Sinclair, Australasia’s only classically trained ‘nose’, was an early triumph, and the pair has gone on to perfect a suite of scents that are making waves worldwide.

What was your youth like?

I grew up in South Canterbury, the second eldest of six to a yoga teacher mother and a farmer father. My parents cultivated a mix of high expectations and free range. As a