Global fragrance brand KAYALI, founded by beauty entrepreneur Mona Kattan, selected Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa as the destination for its first-ever global brand trip, bringing together international content creators, influencers and media representatives for an experience combining fragrance, wellness and Maldivian island hospitality.

Held in September 2026, the event, titled KAYALI Island Spraycation, marked a milestone in the brand’s international engagement strategy. The programme featured two exclusive trips designed for its influencer and media communities, providing participants with opportunities to experience the brand’s fragrances alongside the resort’s accommodation, wellness facilities and marine excursions.

The Maldives was selected because of Kattan’s personal connection with the destination, which she has frequently described as one of her favourite places. Her experiences in the country have also influenced KAYALI’s fragrance development, including its Vacay in a Bottle collection, which draws inspiration from travel and destinations.

Located in North Malé Atoll, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa provided the setting for several brand activations, with villas, wellness experiences and guest activities incorporating KAYALI’s fragrances and visual identity.

Upon arrival, participants were welcomed with personalised amenities, fragrance collections and branded gifts. Guest accommodation featured KAYALI products, robes and sleep accessories, while the resort’s hospitality team collaborated on themed turndown experiences and personalised arrangements.

One of the programme’s highlights was a wellness experience at ŪRJĀ Naturopathy Island, the resort’s dedicated wellness sanctuary. Inspired by KAYALI’s Yum Lip & Body Collection, the House of Yum: Layer With Love experience introduced participants to body care and fragrance layering through treatments and product demonstrations.

The itinerary also included the KAYALI Scent Lab, an interactive session exploring fragrance ingredients, formulation and the Middle Eastern tradition of combining different scents.

Kara Davis, the brand’s Vice President of Global Marketing, and Robert Nasser Sabet, Director of Global Sales and Education, guided participants through the development of KAYALI fragrances and the techniques used to combine different scent profiles.

Participants were introduced to fragrances from the brand’s portfolio, including Vanilla | 28, Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42 and Yum Boujee Marshmallow | 81. They also received an exclusive preview of an unreleased KAYALI fragrance ahead of its planned October 2026 launch.

Beyond the fragrance sessions, the programme incorporated resort dining, themed entertainment and ocean experiences. A KAYALI movie night, inspired by the brand’s Boujee Kitty Caramel Milk fragrance, brought participants together for an evening of entertainment and personalised hospitality.

Guests also joined a dolphin-watching excursion aboard the Perfume Princess yacht, providing an opportunity to experience the marine environment surrounding the resort. The programme concluded with a farewell dinner that brought together participants from different international markets.

The trip followed previous KAYALI destination-based activations, including a visit to Cappadocia, Türkiye, associated with the launch of its Freedom fragrance collection in late 2025. However, the Maldives event represented the brand’s first global trip bringing together its international creator and media communities.

Founded in 2018, KAYALI has developed an international following through its fragrance collections and emphasis on scent layering. The Maldives trip formed part of its efforts to engage content creators and media through experiences that extend beyond traditional product launches.

For Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, the collaboration demonstrated the property’s capacity to accommodate international luxury brand events requiring customised accommodation, wellness programmes, dining and recreational activities.

The event also highlighted the Maldives’ potential as a destination for global beauty, fashion and lifestyle brand activations, where international brands can combine product storytelling with resort hospitality and destination experiences.

This November, Finolhu, a Seaside Collection Resort invites guests to experience art through a new lens as contemporary artist Yakov Khomich takes up residence on the island from 6 to 12 November 2026. Set against the extraordinary natural beauty of the Maldives, the residency will transform Finolhu’s Art Lab into an intimate space for creativity, discovery and personal expression.

Based between France and Russia, Khomich has developed a distinctive artistic language that moves fluidly between techniques, visual references and ideas. Rather than being defined by a single style, his practice is intuitive and instinctive, often beginning with an image, memory or emotion before evolving organically on canvas. His work inhabits the space between reality and imagination, drawing on personal experience, cultural memory and the familiar symbols of everyday life.

Art has been part of Khomich’s world from an early age. Born into a family of artists, he grew up surrounded by museums and creative influences before pursuing an education across arts and cinema. He graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 2023, specialising in painting and film and television art. Since 2019, his practice has increasingly embraced experimentation beyond academic conventions, resulting in an eclectic and highly personal approach to contemporary painting.

Khomich’s work has been presented internationally through solo and group exhibitions and at leading art fairs, including Cosmoscow Art Fair and Blazar Art Fair, alongside exhibitions with ART&BRUT Gallery in Moscow and Sur Play at Museum NOU in Barcelona. His works are held in private collections across the United States, Europe, China and Russia.

At Finolhu, Khomich’s residency will take art beyond observation and invite guests to become part of the creative process. Hosted through the resort’s Art Lab, the programme will offer a series of approachable experiences designed to encourage experimentation and individual expression, regardless of previous artistic experience.

The residency opens with a Meet & Greet during Finolhu’s signature White Party on 6 November, offering guests the opportunity to meet Khomich and discover his artistic world. A complimentary introductory art class follows on 7 November, with Group masterclasses on 8 and 10 November. For a more intimate experience, private art sessions will be available from 7 to 12 November, allowing guests to create alongside the artist in a more personal setting.

Rather than asking participants to reproduce a particular image or adhere to a rigid technique, the experience reflects Khomich’s own approach to art: observing, experimenting and allowing an idea to evolve through the act of making. His wider practice draws inspiration from human behaviour, childhood narratives and fragments of cultural memory, using familiar symbols and imagery to evoke feelings that may resist a single interpretation.

The residency forms part of Finolhu’s wider commitment to bringing art and design into the guest experience. The resort’s dedicated Art Lab has developed into a creative space for painting, pottery, fabric dyeing, resin art and visiting artist residencies, complementing Finolhu’s colourful design identity and its setting within the UNESCO-designated Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve.

Khomich’s residency follows acclaimed British designer Matthew Williamson, whose October residency will bring his celebrated use of colour, pattern and maximalist design to Finolhu. Together, the two residencies form part of the resort’s evolving creative programme, reflecting Finolhu’s belief that art is best experienced through connection, discovery and participation.

This November, guests are invited not simply to encounter contemporary art, but to step inside the creative process — and leave the island with an experience that is uniquely their own.

For more information and reservations, visit finolhu.com.

Following last year’s successful collaboration with acclaimed Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin, Maison Ruinart, the world’s first established Champagne house, and The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, a Two Michelin Key Resort, open a new creative chapter with an exclusive residency by French artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet.

Officially launching from December 18 to 23, 2026, in the presence of the artist, the residency will then continue across the resort for the following four months, through April 2027, with installations, experiences and artistic workshops available to guests throughout the period.

The dialogue between Maison Ruinart and Alexandre Benjamin Navet began in 2021, when he became the first artist commissioned to reinterpret Ruinart’s eco-designed Second Skin packaging. He later went on to illustrate Maison’s environmental commitments through a series of bespoke drawings.

At The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, guests will be invited into Alexandre Benjamin Navet’s vibrant universe, where art, Champagne and island life come together beneath the Maldivian sun. Inspired by tropical flora and fauna organic forms and the colors of the destination, his bold and playful installations will unfold across the island, culminating in a complete artistic transformation of the Beach Shack, the resort’s elegant beachfront restaurant.

“My inspiration draws on the intensity of the light, the power of the elements, the richness of the marine world, but also the fragility of this ecosystem. Through drawing and colour, I wanted to offer a sensitive interpretation of it, to reveal its beauty, and to present this territory in a different way — with the underlying idea of preserving it more carefully,” said Alexandre Benjamin Navet.

The residency will come to life through intimate encounters with the artist, creative workshops for both adults and younger guests, two gastronomic Ruinart pairing dinners, and curated Champagne tastings. At sunset, Ruinart Champagne will accompany the resort’s Defining Moment, as traditional bodu beru rhythms and a flaming ceremony mark the transition from day to evening against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean.

Alexandre Benjamin Navet’s creative vision will also extend into the festive season, with the artist designing the resort’s 2026 Christmas tree, ornaments and an exclusive collection of festive gifts. On December 22, the island will come alive for a magical Tree Lighting celebration in the presence of the artist and Maison Ruinart.

“We are delighted to welcome Maison Ruinart back to our island home for another inspiring artistic and gastronomic collaboration. This new chapter with Alexandre Benjamin Navet brings a vibrant creative energy to our island as part of A Canvas of Festive Wonder, our 2026–2027 festive season. We look forward to seeing his colourful universe come to life, creating memorable moments of art, celebration, and connection for our guests,” said Oscar Postma, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands.

From French savoir-faire to the Circle of Island Life, art, travel and celebration come together in a luminous end-of-year experience, marking a brilliant close to the year and an inspired opening to the festive season.