Cardi B, Kehlani’s Hairstylist Launches Fragrance Brand


The ever-hot niche fragrance game has a new player.

Longtime celebrity hairstylist Kahh Spence, known for working with artists including Kelly Rowland, Cardi B, Kehlani and others, is debuting Samir Grey, a direct-to-consumer fragrance line, on Aug. 25.

Rooted in self-care and accessible luxury, the brand features one floral-gourmand parfum at launch, called One, which retails for $138 and features notes of almond milk, peony, orris, peach and vanilla.

“Fragrance was my first entrance to beauty — smelling my mom’s Victoria’s Secret Love Spell, DKNY Be Delicious — that’s what I grew up on,” said Spence, whose hairstyling career kicked off during the 2010s Tumblr “It” girl era, when the likes of Justine Skye, Brittany Sky and Barbie Ferreira — some of whom were Kahh’s earliest clients — were gaining prominence via the original blogging platform.

“My entry to hairstyling was very different — it was digital-first, which I appreciate because that has allowed me to understand so much about the social landscape,” said Spence, who counts more than 116,000 followers on Instagram and plans to leverage his digital savvy in launching Samir Grey.

One by Samir Grey

DEMAR WATSON

“The essence of this brand is that we all need to pause more at a time when hustle culture is the norm,” continued the founder. “I’m leaning heavily into all things digital — TikTok, Instagram, email and my network within the industry to get this story out there and build community, which is priority number one for me.”

Though Spence did not specify sales expectations for the launch, industry sources estimate Samir Grey — coined after the founder’s middle name and one of his favorite colors — could do between $350,000 and $500,000 in first-year sales.

The venture isn’t Spence’s first within the space; in 2019, he launched a namesake fragrance brand using lottery winnings left to him by his late mother, Sharisee, who passed away from cancer in 2017. “I was younger, and I wasn’t clear on what to do with that kind of money — I was just spending without understanding anything related to profit and loss,” said Spence, who shuttered the business a few years later and has since taken the time to understand how to run a business, also consulting with founders like Tower 28’s Amy Liu, Ami Colé’s Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Danessa Myricks.

With Samir Grey, the entrepreneur aims to build a lifestyle brand.

“Everything you would want in your toiletry bag will ultimately be something you can find at Samir Grey — I want this brand to feel like your personal care edit,” said Spence, who tapped Mane senior perfumer Cécile Hua and product developer Eliane Treadwell to help bring One to life.

The scent is inspired by the memory of a beachside stroll Spence took with his mother in Hawaii in 2017, while working Kehlani’s “SweetSexySavage” world tour.

“I wanted to take that experience and turn it into this summer escape in a bottle — where the breeze feels nice, the music is at a low hum, and you just feel and smell warm — I want One to take you to wherever that memory and feeling is for you,” Spence said.



#Cardi #Kehlanis #Hairstylist #Launches #Fragrance #Brand

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