Gabar
Founded in Myanmar in 2020, Gabar is a niche fragrance brand holistically inspired by its Southeast Asian heritage. Co-founders, Phway Su Aye and Su Zar Wain Hnin, are childhood friends who grew up together in Myanmar, but both left in their late teens. The name, Gabar, means ‘world’ in Burmese, and is an ode to their mission to create a more conscious, creative and inspired world.
“Gabar really came from two key threads: wanting to bring our heritage and South East Asian history to the world stage, especially in a category that doesn’t have as many South-East Asian viewpoints, and building a brand that really touched on these ideas of the internal pursuit of mindful and conscious living and translated those ideas in a fresh and approachable way.”
—Phway Su Aye, co-founder
With renowned perfumer Ruth Mastenbroek, Gabar have developed three fragrances inspired by three specific locations in Myanmar. Each multidimensional fragrances also represents a type of presences of the mind inspired by Buddhism.
“Both of us are Buddhists by birth and that Buddhist philosophy is so ingrained in us. When we started this brand, we conceived of it more as like three bottles that channel that message of mindfulness and conscious living.“
—Phway Su Aye, co-founder
Gabar set up the Gabar for Myanmar initiative to support Myanmar’s youth. 10% of their profits go to a charity called Prospect Burma – an organisation helping young people gain higher education and skills in Myanmar. They have have aspirations to set up their own foundation to take these initiatives further and do more to support Myanmar.