In Focus: Gabar

Collage by Aylea Skye; Original Images by Gabar.

‘In Focus’ is a segment in which The VogueCIEL looks at emerging brands that have a focus on craftsmanship and ethics.

‘Our brand gets excited about uplifting the next generation and exploring these concepts we care about through scent, ritual, art, digital & creative storytelling.’

-Phway Su Aye, Gabar

CEO and Founder Phway Su Aye looked to her Southeast Asian heritage when creating the contemporary beauty brand, Gabar. Rooted in Myanmar, Gabar’s fragrances, skin, and body care products are inspired by the country’s beautiful and diverse landscape and holistic lifestyle, while simultaneously feeling contemporary and unique.

We spoke with Phway and the ethical brand’s co-founder, Susan Wai Hinn to discover more about Gabar.

Gabar is a modern beauty and lifestyle brand rooted in culture and heritage. Tell me the story behind the brand and the ethos.

Gabar was started in 2021 with the intention of bringing a new kind of beauty brand to the world stage, one that focused so much more on internal over external beauty. On the one hand, we wanted to share the story of Myanmar and our heritage, and on the other hand, also pushed for values of mindfulness & conscious living but in fresh and contemporary ways. Our brand gets excited about uplifting the next generation and exploring these concepts we care about through scent, ritual, art, digital & creative storytelling. We love clashing old and new worlds, and creating a fresh take on what scent means and the impact it can have on the wearer. [Phway]

How did you develop your product range and scents?

We launched our debut collection in October of 2021 with three scents, each embodying a different state of mind. In developing these scents, we took inspiration from the smells and textures we grew up with in our home country of Myanmar and worked with British perfumer Ruth Mastenbroek to incorporate these elements into our fragrances in a fresh and modern way. Storytelling is an integral part of our brand DNA so it was important to us that our scents convey a message or a feeling to the wearer. Gabar 01 Float, 02 Ground, and 03 Swim each represent a different state of being, whether it be the feeling of being grounded in nature and oneself or the feeling of being completely immersed in motion. [Susan]

What’s your favourite scent and product in the collection?

My favorite scent in the collection is Gabar 03 Swim. It’s a fresh and green scent (with notes of Galbanum, Wild Fig, Green Tea, Vetiver and Musk) and one that I like wearing in the morning to feel refreshed. I also love our body oil; it smells amazing, has similar notes of lush and fresh green, and feels like a warm hug. [Susan]

How would you recommend customers use the face and body oil? And is the face oil suitable for all skin types including oily skin?

I would recommend customers apply the face and body oil after getting out of the shower on clean, dry skin. I also love using the face oil along with my gua sha or face roller as part of my nighttime skincare routine. It creates a great base for face rolling and soothes and heals the skin at the same time. Our face oil is light in texture and made of natural botanicals so it is definitely suitable for all skin types, but every type of skin is different so my recommendation would be to try a few drops at first and then apply more over time. [Susan]

How do ethics and sustainability affect the way you navigate the brand and how do you implement sustainable practices?

We have a fairly holistic and multifaceted definition of sustainability. From environmental sustainability and thinking about the impact that our business and its products have on the environment, to sustainability in a more communal and give-back sense, along with personal/emotional sustainability. We like to stick to a less is more philosophy, and imbue all of our products and services with the idea of least waste. This means minimal packaging, minimal plastic use, and replacing any parts of our product with what is recyclable and least harm. Additionally, we like to make sure that giving back is a key part of our company’s business model from the beginning. Right now, we partner with Myanmar-UK charity Prospect Burma to donate 10% of our proceeds to educating young people, and we hope to build out this philanthropic practice to something bigger that encompasses more things we care about. [Phway]

What are your plans for the future of the brand?

We see ourselves becoming a fragrance and creative house that both represents Southeast Asia and our roots, but also encapsulates the ideas and desires of the next generation of fragrance and beauty lovers. Right now, our focus is on building out our range, expanding from our core five products to candles, incense, and several more exciting fragrance collections in 2024. Furthermore, we are excited to expand geographically. London has served us as an amazing first home, but given the global nature of our brand, we see ourselves back in New York (both Susan and I spent most of our 20s there), and eventually in cosmopolitan international cities like Singapore and Hong Kong. Along the way, we see us investing in more boundary-pushing projects, and growing and nurturing our creative communities worldwide.