THE CREATIVE PROCESS BEHIND MIAMI SPLIT
A journal by Abel founder Frances Shoemack
Playing between two worlds
Miami Split started, as many of our fragrances do, with a conversation. Or more accurately, a series of debates between Isaac and I in the lab.
We were obsessed with the idea of contradiction. Not smoothing it out, but pushing it further. What happens if you take two ideas that feel completely at odds, and refuse to compromise either of them?
Pushing boundaries
The banana came first, sparked by access to this incredible upcycled ingredient. The more we explored it, the more we loved its boldness. It had this pop-art clarity. Graphic, playful, instantly recognisable.
Instead of toning it down, we pushed it further. Made it greener, more forward, more unapologetic. That set the tone in the lab. Every time something felt “too much”, we leaned in.
Finding tension in the balance
Then came the question of what sits against it. We kept coming back to oud, but not in the way it’s traditionally used. Isaac was really clear on this. If we were going to do oud, it had to feel modern, lighter, cleaner.
So we worked with a white oud. Something that could hold its own against the banana, but not overpower it. The white oud became the glue that holds the banana and labdanum together.
With the labdanum, we layered three different expressions to build depth, texture, and a slightly burnt edge. Resinous, warm, and a little bit raw. Dark, edgy and unapologetic.
A fragrance that shouldn’t work, yet absolutely does
Throughout the process, there were moments where it really felt like this shouldn’t work. And that was exactly the point. We weren’t trying to create harmony in the traditional sense. We were trying to create something that felt alive, unexpected, and different from anything anyone has created before.
In the end, Miami Split became exactly that. A playful clash of ideas. A fragrance where two worlds co-exist. Where the wearer can feel at home in self-expression and exploration.
"The idea was never to blend everything into harmony, but to let each material hold its shape. The interest comes from the tension between them." — Isaac Sinclair, Master Perfumer
LAB NOTES FROM OUR MASTER PERFUMER:
"We began with green banana, deliberately unripe. Tart, vibrant, and slightly angular. This note is upcycled from the food industry, capturing true-to-life fruit molecules from waste streams. It delivers clarity without sweetness, and a kind of graphic brightness that feels both modern and unexpected.
From there, we introduced a white oud. A first for Abel. Sourced from Vietnam and distilled from healthy Aquilaria wood, this is a cleaner, more refined interpretation of oud. Where traditional dark oud is dense and smoky, white oud is lighter, more transparent. It creates structure and tension without overwhelming the composition.
The base is built on a trio of Spanish labdanum, each chosen for contrast and complexity. A dark, ambery labdanum absolute brings depth and richness. A cistus labdanum adds a fresher, softly floral lift. And a pyrogenated labdanum, transformed through heat, introduces a toasted, almost tar-like edge. Together, they create a base that feels textured, evolving and slightly subversive."
— Isaac Sinclair, Master Perfumer
