Kerzon, the essence of home
Published on 6 March 2021
Two brothers are giving all things olfactive a brand new spin. How? By creating fragrances that aren’t simply for our bodies or homes, but permeate every aspect of our lives.
In France, the elegant villas that sit alongside Brittany’s coastline overlooking the Atlantic or the Channel are all named “Ker” something, meaning “the place belonging to” in Breton. Holidaymakers on seaside escapes spend their summers staying at the charming KerMargaret or the gorgeous KerJannic. Pierre-Alexis and Etienne Delaplace had such vibrant, happy memories of their childhood summers that they were keen to recapture them in a fragrance. The house in which they holidayed went by the name of Kerzon. Fast forward to today, and Kerzon is now the name of an elegant fragrance and skincare brand that helps you “feel at home wherever you go”. “Smells feature amongst people’s first-ever memories,” explains Pierre-Alexis. “When we decided to embark on a family project, fragrances felt like the perfect idea as they are rooted in childhood and emotion.” The two brothers, who launched their business in 2013, have highly complementary profiles: Pierre-Alexis, a design graduate, studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and is a graphic designer and artistic director. Etienne, meanwhile, is a business school graduate and spent several years working in marketing. Kerzon offers a brand-new take on fragrances. Think their world solely revolves around subtly scented candles? Think again. They have washing powder and washing up liquid, too. Nothing’s off-limits. And everything works in perfect harmony. When you fall in love with a fragrance, it can be liberally introduced into every aspect of your life. There are home mists, body mists, lip balms, eaux de toilette and hand creams, too, not to mention fragranced hand sanitisers enriched with glycerine.
Their first-ever product was a scented sachet perfect for slipping into a sock drawer, the modern-day version of our grandmothers’ lavender bags. “This sachet is like a little comfort blanket. The idea behind the design is that it can also be popped into a handbag or suitcase, enabling the reassuringly familiar scent to be carried around with ease”, explains Etienne, head of marketing. The sachet is crafted from paper, illustrated by Pierre-Alexis. To capture customers’ noses and hearts, the young entrepreneurs were keen to look beyond traditional mono-floral rose or lavender scents, inciting them to launch a call for tenders in the French town of Grasse, the Mecca for the perfume industry. It was one of the oldest perfume houses, the two hundred-year-old Charabot, that responded favourably to the newcomers’ request. Their brief? “It must be poetic, upbeat and smell good”. Kerzon’s all about enhancing people’s day-to-day lives with a liberal sprinkling of memories, their very own Proustian madeleines, ranging from a bouquet of flowers or salty sea spray to the smell of hot coffee, brioche and almonds, polished parquet or a baby’s skin. Having grown up in the city of Paris, the brothers were also keen to pay tribute to the capital’s most memorable walks: the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Tuileries, the Place des Vosges, Île Saint-Louis... The range is “fair and honest”: organic raw materials, recyclable packaging and no animal testing. As well as championing an artisan approach, Kerzon is also socially responsible, as all the sachets are manufactured in an ESAT, a centre that provides employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.
“Imagination plays a pivotal part in choosing a perfume. On the website, the fragrances are evoked through visuals and words.”
When it comes to marketing the products, Kerzon leverages all available channels. “Right from the start, we were keen to retail our products online, as well as through stockists and in our own store, which we opened in the Marais district of Paris in 2017. We began exhibiting at Maison&Objet in January 2014, and made some amazing contacts from the get-go, meeting not just stockists but an entire creative community”, recalls Etienne. The start-up forged friendships with up-and-coming lifestyle brands who shared the same mindset, such as Papier Tigre, Maison Plisson and Mathilde Cabanas, with whom they began working and travelling. Little by little, the family grew. “I guess you could say it was our baptism, and it opened up a whole world of opportunities,” Pierre-Alexis continues. “Our products were out there, and in the space of five days thousands of people had smelt them, touched them and placed orders. We’ve been coming back twice a year ever since.” Their solid distribution network facilitates online sales and vice-versa. As Pierre-Alexis points out, “There are numerous entry points. People who already have a candle treat themselves to a mist. People who want to smell the products for themselves can always find a point of sale nearby.” “On the website, the fragrances are evoked through visuals and words,” explains Etienne. “Imagination plays a pivotal part in choosing a perfume, and that is rooted in storytelling. We spend a huge amount of time honing our descriptions.” When clients receive their product and open the box, the first thing they see is a message saying “Welcome to the family”. A family whose members are now scattered across 17 countries and five continents.
By Caroline Tossan
Illustration ©Sarah Bouillaud