From Myanmar to Manhattan: Gabar’s mission to weave heritage into every note
Co-founder Phway Aye on the importance of culture, connection, and mindfulness
Back in October, I noticed a DM on IG from Phway Aye, one of the founders of Gabar. She had reached out with a nice message about what I was building with Dry Down and asked if I wanted to chat. I had smelled a few of Gabar’s scents at Stéle (I swear they don’t pay me to mention their name in every post), but I wasn’t super familiar with the brand yet. I liked her message and was curious about what she was building, so a few weeks later, we connected over Zoom.
What followed was one of those effortlessly fun conversations with a fellow fragrance lover—one where time flies as you dive into everything from evolving trends in perfumery to favorite scent profiles. Phway was open, thoughtful, and kind. Later, when she let me know she was visiting San Francisco, we met up and wandered through Ministry of Scent together. She brought a discovery set of Gabar, and it was fun to smell through the line with her and hear the story behind each scent. I got to smell the new scents releasing later this year, and y’all, they are so good. They take an interesting turn for the line.
What struck me most is how much Gabar’s fragrances reflect Phway herself: well-traveled, curious, easy to be around, and grounding. My favorites kept shifting with each wear—which is always a good sign. At first, I was convinced that Float, with its rich white floral notes, was my clear winner. But then Lull crept in, playful with its bright, fruity top notes that melted into a mellow, woodsy finish. Eventually, though, Ground stole the spotlight for me—a creamy, woodsy fig that just felt right on my skin.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I enjoyed getting to know Phway. You can follow Gabar on Instagram and TikTok, or explore their collection on their website. I highly recommend ordering a discovery set or stopping by Stéle if you’re in New York to experience the scents in person and discover your own favorite.
You've shared that Gabar draws inspiration from Myanmar's beauty and cultural heritage. Can you discuss how Southeast Asia is reflected in Gabar's fragrances and why that was important in developing the brand?
There is so much about Gabar that ties to my and my co-founder’s cultural heritage. Gabar means “world” in the Myanmar language, and the brand has always been a quest to reflect on all that we see in the world, but also specifically in Myanmar. Born in the throes of the pandemic but also a period of incredible political instability in our home country, we hoped that our brand could offer ideals of hope and idealism, silently threading through Buddhist tenets so core to us to re-translate these in fresh and contemporary ways. We’re a next generation brand with a love for clashing the world of fragrance with other creative undercurrents, but our core intention is always constant – building a brand with just as much focus on the internal world as the external and what you see (and smell!) on the outside. Our Myanmar cultural heritage plays a huge role in these brand values.
Beyond this, of course, and more directly with the scent profiles, our range definitely draws on Myanmar and broadly Southeast Asia as a key source and palette. Our first range, crafted with the phenomenal Ruth Mastenbroek based here in the UK, was a direct translation of three “mindful moments” tied to prominent and beautiful locations in Myanmar. Our second range, crafted with Gus Romero of the Team of Two Perfumers in NYC, took these mindful moments into a modern city, taking stock of the hidden rituals our urban environments had to offer through cozy and expansive scents. Our next upcoming range, which we are so excited about, turns back to Myanmar, telling the story of three mythical Southeast Asian deities found prominently in Buddhist lore through deeper and darker scent profiles. Myanmar will continue to be a backdrop for our brand, but we also get excited about how we can pull out the stories and lessons from our heritage into a global context.
What has been the most satisfying part of building Gabar so far?
Seeing our values translate into real life. We’ve been on the ground now for about three and a half years, and it’s been such a thrill to really feel like there’s a true, global community growing around us that is excited about the world we’re building —whether the scents, values, or creative outputs generally. I recognize that “community” has been so overused or over marketed across brands nowadays. However, I do still think it is core to building something with roots, but also, to really combating the disconnection and disenfranchisement we’re seeing across the world. It’s been so satisfying to feel like we’re building something that is both sensorially and emotionally connecting with others and hopefully offering something in the way of solace as well.
What's been the most challenging?
Navigating this economic climate. There are uncertainties everywhere. We feel relatively shielded in some ways, being able to be global and transcultural through our respective homes in London, New York, and across Asia, but the unpredictabilities are the same. In this same vein, it’s also challenging the balance of creating and putting things out into the world while being sensitive to and recognizing the realities of today. Fragrance is such a beautiful, incredible, and powerful medium, and like any other art form, it serves such a strong purpose in mapping cultural moments and movements, but also simply tugging at heartstrings and telling stories. That said, there is so much going on in the world right now, and it remains a challenge to be aware and integrate the things we’re seeing with the stories we’re telling today. Perfume can be political, just as any object we create, consume, or use can be, so it’s important for us to never view Gabar and the work we do in silo.
I love how curious and invested you are in the community; what vision do you have for how the community gathers and shows up around Gabar?
We see community as a huge part of our Gabar story and love the idea of continuing to mobilize and bring people together across the world. This year we’re making a big effort to replicate the on-ground work we did in London again in New York, building up our community and second home base from the ground up. We love IRL events – we’ve done scent-inspired art exhibits, scent-led meditations, and charity & community gatherings. All the amazing perfume swaps and meetups we’ve been seeing have been such an inspiration, and we’d love to continue building out our world through proper, physical touch points, pushing scent and fragrance into other contexts. Our online communities are just as important for us, too, and we envision being able to continue growing our social channels and finding those creators and creatives, passionate and aligned with the Gabar world, to speak through. Given all that’s happening in the social media landscape, I personally get excited, too, about other ways to connect online, outside of the bigger channels.
Can you tell me about the scents you grew up smelling? Did any of them make it into Gabar fragrances?
I was born in Myanmar but grew up in Aoteoroa, New Zealand, before moving to the East Coast, all prior to London. My scent memories are both incredibly cross-cultural but also so beautifully confused (for lack of a better word)! My mother was a huge cook, so I grew up in a household full of amazing Myanmar cooking – the smells of spices and curries and warm rice and fragrant teas. Much of our first range, but also the range that we’re about to release, definitely reflects this Myanmar influence. I also grew up in the more open-spaced and fresh and gripping landscapes of New Zealand – so my love for airy, nature-led, fresh, clean, but also slightly saline or mineral fragrances is prominent. Fragrances like 04 (NOLITA) Rise, despite there being New York City ties, bring in this sense of nature and expansiveness completely. Living in New York and London informed most of my love for urbanity and the chaos of city life, mixed in with their own dynamic and cross-cultural currents and scents. This energy is very much ever-present, but more in the creative world around the scents. All to say, Gabar’s influences are worldwide, but you’ll see upon smelling that they are also all tied together by a deep sense of balance, well-roundedness, and soothingness that I think goes back to my own core values and own general aesthetic perspective. Gabar scents are meant to transport and make a statement but also feel generally wearable and inclusive.
Which Gabar scent do you wear the most?
Currently, our 05 (LUDLOW) Lull – it’s one of our bestselling at the moment. Incredibly milky and cozy and almost coconut-like from the gentle mixes of cherry with tea, orange blossom, and sandalwood. It’s both calming and cashmeric but also so light and elegant. I’m looking out now onto a foggy London Winter day, and Lull captures my interior world completely.
What's next for Gabar?
More scents and a big focus this year on the US, particularly New York. Our Deities collection will be launching in April/May of this year, and with that, we hope to be back on the ground in the States, introducing our brand world to our communities there. Beyond this, with my co-founder living between Myanmar and Thailand, we hope to plan for some smaller activations, too, across a few aligned cities in Asia. We’re big believers in thinking big but allowing for the natural ebbs and flows to happen with our growth, so we are excited to see where the currents push us! That said, definitely follow us on our socials (@gabar and @gabarworld) and emails to come join us wherever we are!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
A big thank you honestly for the work that you, Christina, and others like you do to bringing the world of scent and perfumery to a larger audience! We’re huge fans of your writing! I’ve always found fragrance, like art, to often look and feel intimidating for those on the outside. I think it’s so important to break down those walls and barriers, and continue injecting feelings of warmth and inclusion into the industry, and bringing to life all the amazing people, big and small, that are part of it. We’re excited to see how the fragrance world keeps evolving this year, but also, too, to keep cementing our perspective within it.
