Oscar Amherst’s Founder, Eddie Yacoubian’s Story

Oscar Amherst’s Founder, Eddie Yacoubian’s Story

Born in Sydney and into a CONTINENTAL family, Eddie was the youngest of two boys.

Younger years were full of great joy with weekend family gatherings, social events, and trips to the growers’ markets to buy boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to share with the extended family. Entertaining in the family home was part of a weekend ritual. Getting the house ready, mowing the lawns, vacuuming, dusting then enjoy buckets of continental food, always with a buffet of desserts and loads of fun and laughter. Followed by an exploration of the neighbourhood parks with the cousins on bikes and skateboards.

For the Christmas holidays we would take a couple of weeks up the coast to some holiday park on the beach. Initially in caravans, then upgrading to holiday homes. These memories are the most cherished as they were full of living in the moment and experiencing pure joy. Sunshine, sand, surf beaches, trampolines and then end of day BBQ’s (sometimes with our slightly sunburned skin), it was just perfect. It set you up for the New year.

Having a large extended family meant there were always many events to celebrate including all the major birthdays, the traditional events and worship in our small local Church, which was always blanketed in super intense incense, chandeliers and loads of candles. Church was always an opportunity to get dressed up and be surrounded by so much that awoke the senses.

During the school years I had a bunch of close friends and was involved in a diverse range of activities, from basketball and the musical productions, to organising fashion shows and the school formals. It was no surprise that I ended up studying and working in design then buying and marketing and events for a major retailer. After 15 years I ended up starting my own events business where I produced numerous special events for many local and international brands and met so many wonderful celebrities and personalities along the way. We launched some beautiful products, brands, stores, and many fragrances while working with many wonderfully talented entertainers, chefs, caterers and creatives.

Throughout the years I worked on producing many different experiences that took guests out of their everyday lives and transported them into some super magical moments. Insuring we tapped into involving all the senses was key in creating these memorable occasions.

Travelling to other cultures and being surrounded by unfamiliar landscapes, architecture and people has always nourished my soul and rebooted the creative within.

Fusing travel with my love of fragrances and creating wonderful memories, I ended up in France studying fragrance at the house of Fragonard. Soon after creating 3 unique fragrances into the candles and creating the Oscar Amherst brand. 

Scents to me always evoke a sense and feeling – bright, light, happy, summery, warm, spicy, Churchy, the beach, a friend, a partner, a mother, your home, a garden. Some memories are in the subconscious, and you can’t put your finger on why it triggers an emotion in you but when you breath in deeply and smile you know it comes from a place of joy.

Our lives are to be shared and nourished with experiences so we can keep on growing. Being surrounded by family and friends is a gift and one that we need to keep on nurturing to create the memories that will stay with us until the end of our days.

This year I lost my mother. Mum was so amazing, she had so much love, music, food and joy to give and her smile would light up a room. She lived a full life and passed quickly which was a blessing. Until this time I had not experienced this level of loss and grief, but right until the end she told us how grateful she was for the life that she had, the family, the home, and world travels. What a star to be so graceful right to the end. She was so wonderful and even though I miss her greatly we have created long-lasting memories that I will carry with me always. Interestingly apart from her cherished photos, it’s her own favourite perfume that always transports me back to her and I seek out, whenever I need to feel her close.

Scent is a part of the fabric of life.