AN AFRICAN SCENT AFFAIR

Co-founder of Cape Island and Creative Visionary Suzanne Snowdowne shares how being a 100% women-managed company has contributed to their success and what they’re aiming to achieve with their concept for South Africa-inspired fragrance collections.

Glamour: What inspired your business idea, and how did you start?

Suzanne Snowdowne: After we returned from living in the UK, we wanted to start a creative business to empower women and feed into the community. We knew the feeling of missing home, and so the Cape Island concept was inspired by our desire to capture the natural beauty of South Africa and for people to celebrate it in their homes.

Our first products were mainly interior textile items, with one candle in our Clifton Beach fragrance, which was as popular then as it is today, so we decided to shift our focus to fragrance products. We now have six fragrance collections, each celebrating a different aspect of South Africa.

G: What makes your products unique?

SS: Each of our six fragrance collections are an intentional composition of scent, colour and narrative. Using fragrance and colour as our medium, we’ve created products that are an artistic expression of the African landscape, each with its own unique story and tribute. Cape Island products represent the brand and, more importantly, the heart of who we are as a company.

G: What challenges have you experienced?

SS: As a creative, it’s been challenging having to run the administrative and logistic side of the business and constantly trying to be innovative in the fragrance space. I’ve learnt it’s vital to take time out of day-today business to feed your creative energy – your business and family will thank you for it.

Starting a business is challenging, but it’s much easier to navigate if you have the right people to hold you accountable for realising your vision.

G: Tell us about the most rewarding aspect of your business.

SS: Believing in a dream and bringing it into existence through hard work and determination. Our motto is ‘together we’re stronger’. It’s magical to see strong individuals lay down selfinterest for the greater good. It takes a while to build a strong team, and we’re so proud of ours! We’re all women and most of us are mothers, so, in that sense, we’ve brought the dream of empowering women to life.

G: Your customers’ most pressing needs?

SS: Over the past two years, sales in the health and wellness category, including fragrance, have increased significantly. More consumers have taken solace in little luxuries such as candles, diffusers and other scented products. The trend continues post-pandemic as customers aim to create a happy space that feels safe and comfortable. Not only has the focus on fragrance products increased, but so has using fragrance for improving emotional wellbeing. Customers are increasingly searching for fragrance products with attributes that foster mindfulness and make them feel good.

G: What are your business goals?

SS: We aim to become the leader in home fragrance and are well on our way to achieving that goal. Driving our desire is our belief that the more we expand, the more opportunities we can create for the Cape Island community. We’re passionate about creating jobs and empowering the people with whom we work. Many of our customers and suppliers are small businesses too, so there’s value in strengthening these partnerships and, as a result, increasing our contribution

to growing the local economy. We’re working towards making a real difference in South Africa and partnering with several non-profit organisations that protect and advocate for African people, natural beauty and wildlife.

G: What percentage of your products are organic?

SS: We believe in luxury without compromise. Cape Island products are crueltyfree, environmentally friendly and aquatically safe. We aim to produce clean, non-toxic formulations with organic ingredients as far as possible without affecting the quality and performance of our products.

G: What would you tell your 18-year-old self ?

SS: Dream as big as possible and believe you have the grit and determination to make things happen. Know you’re enough and worthy of succeeding and bringing your vision to life.

G: Tell us what’s on your beauty shopping list.

SS: Environ Alpha Hydroxy Night Cream (R385) and Catrice Ten!sational 10 in 1 Dream Primer (R149.95). And I’m hoping someone will gift me with the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara (R800) for my birthday!

For more information and to shop these products, visit capeisland.co.za

“More consumers have taken solace in little luxuries”