A bit of background

Sikhana was born out of Covid in 2020. It started off as Xperience Pakistan Lifestyle, which was an extension of my travel company Xperience Pakistan, which I set up in 2018. I figured if I couldn't take people to Pakistan, I would bring it to their homes taking them on sensorial adventures of Pakistan. I launched a portfolio of 5 scents named after different cities and places in Pakistan to continue to educate people about what there is to see and do in Pakistan & to dispel the misconceptions they have of Pakistan and my community.

This format of educating and having a brand with a purpose bode well with customers. So in 2021 I wanted to build on this to talk about other topics beyond Pakistan which were not shown in the right light by the mainstream media, I was also being asked a lot about having Oud based scents which I couldn't do under Xperience Pakistan Lifestyle as its not a Pakistani scent.

In August 2023 I rebranded to Sikhana, which means to educate in 'Urdu', as that is the essence of my brand. My scents and lifestyle collection act as hooks to tell stories about cultures, cities and topics misunderstood, in order to remove ignorance and hopefully reduce racism.

Since launch I have popped up in many John Lewis branches in London and Harvey Nichols in Manchester, giving it great exposure and being able to reach so many of you.

Who am I?

I am a Pakistani woman, who was 2 years old when I came to the UK and then aged 16 moved back to Peshawar because my father was transferred back.

Peshawar is a small town in Pakistan, in the Northwest of Pakistan. Many people don't know about it but I love it because of the hospitality and warmth it oozes with. I spent 3 years there loving the parties, the weddings, the travelling, the food & spending quality time with my extended family getting to know them. Prior to living in Pakistan, we would go every other year, so going to Pakistan wasn't a complete shock to the system but living there made me see and appreciate it in a completely different way.

When I was 19, I returned to the UK to study Product Management, upon graduation I moved to Brussels because this was where my parents now lived. I managed to get an MBA (probably the hardest thing I have ever done) & then secured a job at Unilever before I graduated. 

Whilst doing my MBA I had made a business plan for a brand by the name of Diversify, which was focused on promoting goods from all over the world under one roof but its main prime focus was to showcase the best of Pakistan and its talent. After 15 years of working for multinationals and 3 kids later, Sikhana is the start of realising that business plan.

Business with a purpose

Sikhana is a socially responsible luxury brand which educates people about cultures misrepresented to remove prejudice and ignorance. However the brand also gets involved and supports local initiatives in the UK to empower women and the youth such as the Speakers for School, Ramadan Food Parcels as well as further a field working with the social architect Yasmin Lari to help build wells and solar panels in areas affected by the floods in Sindh, Pakistan.

A donation is made from every purchase to the Yasmin Lari project and some of the profit generated is used to sponsor the local women's and girls cricket team in Chalfont St Peters as well as holding community events like a combined celebration of Pakistan and India's independence, focusing on what we have in common & celebrating the strong relationships in the UK between Indians, Pakistanis and the British.

Our lifestyle collection such as the platters are made with artisans in Indian & we have new collections we are excited to add from Pakistan and Morrocco to help keep their work alive and to give them a source of income.

I believe you can make money whilst also doing good and serving a purpose, which in my case is to bring communities together to create a harmonious society.

 

Made in the UK & supporting artisans around the world

The fragrance collections are made in the UK in my kitchen and 95% of the raw material used are sourced from other small businesses in the UK. Supporting other local small businesses here in the UK is important to me, which is why despite it being slightly more expensive I am committed to continue to make my luxury fragrance collection in the UK, sourcing from premium suppliers who also supply to Jo Malone, Dyptique to name but a few.

My lifestyle collection (serving platters, baskets etc) have been curated in collaboration with artisans around the world as a means to keep their handicraft alive and to provide them with a source of income.

What do I value?

Making a difference to the community I live in and have lived amongst is very important to me, improving engagement between communities to remove ignorance and giving back to change perceptions around Pakistan & Islam is something that's close to my heart.

That's what our ramadan food parcel and my work placement scheme with local schools is all about, helping the locals whether financial, in kind or through education.

Promotion of entrepreneurship and empowerment, particularly amongst women is something that is very close to my heart. That's why I have collaborated with Yasmeen Lari. You can learn more about this on the Yasmeen Lari Dosti Project page.

Interesting fact

Peshawar is the biggest city of Khyber Pakhtunwala, one of the provinces in Pakistan & is also its cultural & economic hub. Peshawar is famous for its food & tourism, as it is one of the oldest cities in the region, with a recorded history that dates back to 539 BC.