Meet Jill McKeever

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill McKeever.

Hi Jill, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For Strange Women began as an experiment in scent, design, and strange concepts and quickly grew into an indie perfume brand with a cult following. In 2009, I opened an online shop to sell my natural perfume and jewelry with a timeless aesthetic. It grew to a crew of four women who assist with everything from design to production to order fulfillment. Our studio has been in the Bauer in the Kansas City Crossroads since 2014, where we make and send aromatic botanical creations worldwide.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has grown organically and we have been lucky to have the best customers. Our greatest challenge is adjusting to the availability of the materials we use. For instance, we used to use a certain type of extract of Madagascar vanilla in several of our perfumes, including our best sellers. Then a category four cyclone hit the island, damaging many farms, including the delicate vanilla orchids. We had to discontinue the perfumes. Climate, sustainability, and small business capabilities have a direct impact on our end.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Botanical perfume can provide the spirit a connection to nature, the mind comfort, and the body an influence to calm or energize. We know that natural essences in just the right arrangement can transport the wearer to another time and place. These compositions are designed to create an experience that is beyond sensory aesthetics; conjuring memories from natural landscapes, experiences, and atmospheres remembered deep within the subconscious.

Although mainstream culture presents perfume as a cosmetic to conceal other scents or to make us more attractive, we seek instead to create a sensory ritual that provides a connection to nature through its ability to communicate with our senses. We find natural perfume to be genderless and feel that the scent signature of our skin should be complemented, not hidden. Most of all, For Strange Women perfume is intended to be worn as a personal indulgence and source of inspiration.

These scents meld with the skin and stay close to the wearer. For those who are normally allergic to perfume, this is typically a reaction to the chemicals hidden inside synthetic fragrances. We find natural plant oils to be safer and more satisfying to the senses. The complex scent arrangements evolve as they are worn and fade gracefully throughout the day.

What makes you happy?
When work is like playing and I forget I’m at work.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: forstrangewomen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forstrangewomen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForStrangeWomen

Image Credits
Crew shot – Kevin McKinney Jill with tincture – Jennifer Wetzel the rest – Jill McKeever