Two such creators are Jill McKeever, founder of For Strange Women, and Emily Voth, the force behind Cade Black. Between them, they’ve built reputations on mystery, artistry, and a devotion to natural beauty.

For McKeever, the image that launched her brand was as enigmatic as her perfumes: a woman draped across a Victorian sofa. What started as a personal experiment turned into a thriving perfumery. Seventeen years later, For Strange Women is run by a small, all-female team devoted to every step of the process, from blending to shipping.

Her customers, she says, are as discerning as her fragrances: “They’re well-versed in sophistication and find that resins and plant extracts are satisfying to the senses. Our physiology has evolved to understand the messages in these properties, and my customers respond to this emotional language.”

With names like Winter Kitty, Persian Love Cake, and Night Sky, perfumes aren’t just scents—they’re stories waiting to be worn.

Dark Seduction

Meanwhile, on Southwest Boulevard, Emily Voth has crafted a different kind of olfactory story. Known for her Zum creations with Indigo Wild, she’s now channeling her artistry into her own perfumery at House of Cade Black.

Working mostly alone—save for two part-time helpers she affectionately calls ‘gems’—Voth creates scents that are dark, velvety, and magnetic. Her Cade Black 10 scent was distilled from the bark of a Mediterranean tree.

“The sap smells like fire: smoky and hypnotic,” she says. The fragrance went on to win a prestigious award from the International Fragrance Board as best new luxury scent of 2024. 

Voth’s palette is a heady mix of spices, woods, mosses, and resins. Thus, every blending is natural, pure and boasts a bold essence. Expanding beyond perfume, the Cade Black scent is also in soap, incense, and candles. Her newest release, Willin’, is a scent that she describes as  “a natural resinous glow for all who indulge.”

A World Beyond the Noise

Together, McKeever and Voth remind us that scent isn’t just something we wear—it’s something we experience. Whether wild, sultry, or ethereal, their creations offer a way to step outside the noise of everyday life and immerse ourselves in the invisible, unforgettable language of fragrance. 

Here’s to the power of scent.

For Strange Women
115 W. 18th St., Ste. 107
Kansas City, MO
forstrangewomen.com;
@forstrangewomen

House of Cade Black
2125 Washington
Kansas City, MO
houseofcadeblack.com;
@thehouseofcadeblack