As part of our retail tours, the Lemens & Partners team visited the Kayali Café pop-up at Sephora Champs-Élysées, open until 25 August. Founded in 2018 by Mona Kattan, whose name translates as “my imagination” in Arabic.
A universe designed to seduce
Everything is pink. A giant Boujee Kitty Caramel Milk flacon greets the visitor at the entrance. On the wall, the message: “Awaken your imagination.” The space is immediately recognisable, coherent and instagrammable.
At the heart of the concept are the Paires Gourmandes, Gourmand Pairings. Each fragrance is associated with a pastry presented under a glass cloche: fruit macaron, cherry black forest, vanilla tarte tatin, fresh fruit tart. This is not a conventional fragrance counter, it is an imaginary pâtisserie, designed to seduce the nose as much as the eye.
Why it works with Gen Z
Kayali has built its identity around “layering”, the art of combining several fragrances to create your own signature scent. It is an invitation to co-create rather than simply purchase. And that is precisely where the brand resonates with Gen Z, the product becomes a tool for personal expression, not an imposed reference.
Kayali also speaks the right language. Fragrances are not classified by traditional olfactory families, but by moods, gourmand, fresh, cosy, fruity. An intuitive and immediate way to choose your scent, no expertise required.
The result: an olfactory playground in an entirely pink space, instagrammable by nature, where visitors come as much for the experience as for the product.
What this tells us about the future of retail
The brands that perform with Gen Z are not necessarily those that do the most but those that speak to them best. They are the ones that create a space in which the visitor feels understood, welcomed, and free to build their own experience.
At Lemens & Partners, we design and lead bespoke retail tours to help you observe what works elsewhere and build the retail of tomorrow. We also support companies in recruiting the creative profiles capable of bringing these experiences to life.
Retail tour, recruitment, or simply a conversation? Get in touch: contact@lemensandpartners.com
