Saadia Baber, founder of Sikhana and Xperience Pakistan, on sand dunes with mountains behind in northern Pakistan

From Xperience Pakistan to Sikhana: Why I Believe Brands Can Bring People Together

A note from Saadia Baber, founder of Sikhana and Xperience Pakistan

People often ask me how a travel company ended up making candles. The honest answer is that Sikhana and Xperience Pakistan were never really two different ideas. They are the same idea, told in two ways.

Why it began: belonging

Before 2001, I felt accepted and embraced as a British Muslim. Then, almost overnight, the headlines changed. I noticed people looking at me with suspicion, and I felt I had to keep proving my worth and justifying the value I brought to this country. Around me, many young British Muslims were becoming disillusioned, angered by foreign policy and the war in Iraq, and asking whether they truly belonged here.

The BBC Two documentary Being Muslim After 9/11, presented by journalist Mobeen Azhar, captures that feeling better than anything I have seen. Mobeen’s journey of disillusionment, and of wondering whether we belong, is one I recognise deeply. It is still available on BBC iPlayer, and I would encourage you to watch it, so you can understand how British Muslims like me feel.

That feeling is what pushed me to act.

Xperience Pakistan: seeing the country through my eyes

I set up Xperience Pakistan in 2018 with three aims: to challenge the misinformation about Pakistan and its people, to help British Pakistanis feel proud of their heritage, and to let everyone else see the country through my lens. The Pakistan I know is hospitable, beautiful and safe.

So I created journeys you would never expect to find in Pakistan, from golf, yoga, cultural to festival tours. Today that includes Basant, the kite festival of spring, the Chilam Joshi spring festival of the Kalash valleys, polo at Shandur, the highest polo ground in the world, and Uchal, the summer harvest festival.

Saadia Baber, founder of Sikhana and Xperience Pakistan, sitting on sand dunes with mountains behind in northern Pakistan

Me in the mountains of northern Pakistan, the country I want everyone to see.

Then the world stopped travelling

When the pandemic closed borders, I could no longer take anyone to Pakistan. So I asked myself a different question: if I can’t take you to Pakistan, can I bring a little of Pakistan to you?

That question became Sikhana. In Urdu, sikhana means “to teach”. I started with a truck art collection designed by a female entrepreneur in Pakistan, and then began creating fragrances, each one named after a real place or a real story. Chambelli Ka Phool for the jasmine (Pakistan’s national flower). Punjab Da Gulab for the rose of Punjab. The Walled City of Lahore. Hunza Blossoms.

Sikhana Hunza Blossoms candle and gift box on the sand in northern Pakistan, mountains behind

Hunza Blossoms, back in the mountains that inspired it. Look closely and you’ll see #xperiencepakistan on the label.

Most recently I launched a personal care range of bath salts, hand lotions and body oils, inspired by the bathing and fragrance rituals found across Pakistan and the Middle East. Every candle, every roll-on, every jar carries a small piece of that story into someone’s home.

Chambelli Ka Phool body oil, roll-on perfume and hand lotion in front of a Sikhana silver gift tin

The layering ritual in Chambelli Ka Phool: body oil, roll-on perfume and hand lotion.

If you have ever left a Trustpilot review for us under the name Xperience Pakistan Lifestyle, thank you. That was Sikhana in its first life.

The role brands can play

I don’t believe the answer to suspicion is anger. I believe the answer is curiosity. When someone lights a candle named after a city in Pakistan and asks “where does this come from?”, a door opens.

Brands are part of everyday life in a way that news stories are not. They sit on our shelves, they arrive as gifts, they are passed between friends. That gives them a quiet power: to introduce people to a culture they might never otherwise meet, and to start conversations at the kitchen table rather than in the comments section.

That is what I try to do with Sikhana. Every product has a story, and every story is an invitation.

Diwali, Christmas and Eid: the season of coming together

The next few months are some of the most beautiful in the British calendar, because so many communities are celebrating at once.

  • Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November this year. To everyone celebrating, I wish you a very Happy Diwali, full of light, family and good food.
  • Christmas brings neighbours, colleagues and families together across every faith and none.
  • Ramadan and Eid follow early in the new year, a time of giving, fasting together and opening our doors to others.

Different traditions, the same instinct: to share food, light candles, give gifts and make room at the table. I find that deeply hopeful.

Come and meet me this November

The best conversations happen in person, so I would love to meet you at one of these two events.

The Luxury Travel Fair and Spirit of Christmas, Olympia London: 5–8 November

Saadia Baber in the mountains of Pakistan: visit me on stand D80 at the Luxury Travel Fair, Olympia London, 5 to 8 November 2026

Find me with Xperience Pakistan at stand D80, where I will be sharing our holiday tours to Pakistan. I am also giving a talk on Friday 6 November at 11am about the festivals you can enjoy in Pakistan. The Luxury Travel Fair includes entry to the Spirit of Christmas Fair next door, so you can plan your travels and your Christmas shopping in one day.

Claim a pair of free tickets: book through the Luxury Travel Fair ticket page and type EXNEXEPIR at checkout. You get two complimentary tickets and only pay the booking fee.

Ascot Christmas Fair, Ascot Racecourse: 12–15 November

Sikhana will be at the Ascot Christmas Fair on stand 45, in the Pavilion Building at Ascot Racecourse. It is open 9:30am to 5pm Thursday to Saturday and 9:30am to 4pm on Sunday, with free parking. Come and smell the full collection.

Gifts that start a conversation

If you can’t make it in person, these are the gifts people tell me spark the most questions at the table:

Questions people ask me

Are Sikhana and Xperience Pakistan the same company?

They are sister brands, both founded by me. Xperience Pakistan creates journeys to Pakistan, and Sikhana brings Pakistan’s stories into your home through fragrance, personal care, homeware and gifts. Sikhana first traded under the name Xperience Pakistan Lifestyle.

What does Sikhana mean?

Sikhana is an Urdu word meaning “to teach”. Every Sikhana product is designed to share a true story from Pakistan or the Muslim world.

How do I get free tickets to the Luxury Travel Fair?

Book on the Luxury Travel Fair ticket page and enter the code EXNEXEPIR at checkout. You get two complimentary tickets and pay only the booking fee. The fair runs 5–8 November 2026 at Olympia London, and includes entry to the Spirit of Christmas Fair.

Where can I meet Saadia in person in November 2026?

At Olympia London with Xperience Pakistan (stand D80) from 5 to 8 November, and with Sikhana at the Ascot Christmas Fair (stand 45), Ascot Racecourse, from 12 to 15 November.

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