Himba Fragrances
HIMBA is a luxury fragrance brand that embodies British-African heritage with modern luxury, committed to environmental protection through sustainably sourced ingredients. Our raw, organic materials are safe and natural for both humans and animals, while also supporting communities that preserve their historical and cultural roots.
After two years of dedicated design and rigorous testing, we are proud to unveil a distinct fragrance at special discounted rates for those who back our Kickstarter campaign.
HIMBA MYRRH OMUMBIRI
A luxurious fragrance made from wild-harvested ingredients cherished by the HIMBA people for generations. Co-founder Henry Baisi now brings this timeless essence to the world.
We are excited to finally share these remarkable fragrances with the world.
The story of an original founder that bridged two worlds
Himba co-founder Henry Baisi had a deep passion for creating a fragrance that would merge two contrasting worlds: the vibrant, fast-paced life of London, his adopted home, and the rich historical roots of Africa, his ancestral homeland. As a leading fashion capital, London is synonymous with sophistication and affluence, and it was here that Baisi honed his craft while working for Boots, the UK’s top fragrance retailer.
During his time at Boots, Baisi gained valuable insights into his customers’ desires, having been a loyal customer himself. After several journeys to Africa, he experienced an ‘aha’ moment. Sitting with his colleagues, he realized his passion for fragrance could be intertwined with his desire to support the rural African women he had met during his travels. This sparked a mission to bridge the gap between these two worlds.
Baisi asked himself a pivotal question: What unique offerings does Africa have for the modern world, and how can we bring them to the forefront?
Renowned for its natural fragrances, Africa is the heart of pure, untouched cosmetics that capture the essence of nature we all long for. Henry Baisi chose to partner with rural women in Africa to unlock the secrets of premium scents, using time-honoured, plant-based ingredients with deep roots, crafted for the modern millennial woman in London and beyond. Synthetics are a thing of the past. Himba was born from a passion to co-create the fragrances of today while weaving in the rich cultural heritage of the past. Unlike the mass-produced brands in department stores, which often smell the same, this African heritage-driven fragrance line is designed for those who want to stand out and be remembered for their unique and universal appeal. Baisi worked closely with community members, reviewing every lab sample together, deciding whether to drop, redevelop, or bring a product to market. This full co-creation experience even involved customers in the process, ensuring that each fragrance was truly exceptional. historical, plant-driven ingredients, with deep roots as a base, made for the modern millennial women in London and beyond. Synthetics are a thing of the past, and Himba was born out of passion to co-create the fragrance of today, weaving in the rich culture of yesteryear.
"The story we want to tell."
Our story is one of authenticity and deep connection. Himba Fragrance embodies the rich heritage of rural African communities and the natural abundance of the land. This perfume is a testament to the wisdom of the rural African women who selected and harvested the botanicals, guided by their deep-rooted understanding of the earth's scents.
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The Himba, a semi-nomadic indigenous tribe, have preserved their pure way of life for centuries. Now, their rich history and tradition of perfumery are captured in every bottle. With each purchase, you not only experience a piece of this ancient art but also contribute to uplifting these communities, helping them rebuild and thrive in the aftermath of civil war.
Our fragrance samples undergo independent evaluation and are rigorously tested with focus groups in London, New York, and Toronto. We meticulously incorporate feedback at every stage, ensuring our fragrances continually evolve and improve. Once perfected, production takes place in our lab in Grasse, the world’s perfume capital on the French Riviera.
We’ve brought HIMBA as far as we can on our own, and now we need your support to take it further. Up to this point, we’ve been entirely self-funded, but to share HIMBA and its story with the world, we now need to generate the capital to make that possible.
Our Mission is to make you a perfumer because........
....... with Himba every woman is a perfumer !
Meet The Team
Henry Baisi
Founder and Team Leader, London
Aishah Namaganda
DTC Ambassador Lead, London
Malia Mulunga
Himba Tribe Liaison, Opowa Namibia
Nathalie Feistheur
Nose & Perfumer, Paris
Nazia Islam
Ecommerce / Shopify Designer,
Bangladesh
Jovinnie Namuli
Graphic Designer, Uganda
Our role models embody our diverse cultural perspective: British trailblazers Jo Malone and Anita Roddick, French icon Coco Chanel, and the legendary Queen of Sheba, Makeda. Inspired by their enduring legacies, we aspire for our fragrance brand to also stand the test of time.
Anita Roddick
Anita Roddick’s influence on the Himba brand is profound, rooted in a deep admiration for her pioneering approach to business and her unwavering commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Growing up in Africa and later living in London, you found a kindred spirit in Roddick, whose values of authenticity, ethical practices, and innovation resonated deeply with your own aspirations.
Joanne Lesley Malone
Joanne Lesley Malone is an inspiring figure whose journey from a self-taught entrepreneur to a globally renowned perfumer resonates deeply with anyone who values determination, creativity, and resilience. As the founder of Jo Malone and later Jo Loves, her story is a testament to the power of passion and self-belief in building something extraordinary from the ground up.
Queen of Sheba Makeda
In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, the First Book of Kings, chapter 10, verses
1 - 10 reads: “The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to test him with hard questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large retinue, camels laden with spices, gold in great quantity, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she told him everything she had in her mind, and Solomon answered all her questions; not one of them was too abstruse for the king to answer.
When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon
Gabrielle Bonheur 'Coco' Chanel
The HIMBA brand draws profound inspiration from Mademoiselle Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, a trailblazer who revolutionized both perfumery and fashion. Chanel's approach to fragrance was as groundbreaking as her impact on fashion, redefining the way women perceived and wore scents. Before Chanel’s influence, women’s fragrances were divided into two distinct categories. Respectable women typically wore the essence of a single garden flower, a symbol of purity and tradition.
Why Kickstarter?
What better way to include our customers than by inviting them to become part of the development process?
We are excited to get our product to market, and in order to do this, we need a substantial number of minimum orders. This campaign will provide us with the capital we need to fund our first run of fragrances. We are on a mission to inspire the world as we give the Himba tribes back what has always been theirs - the opportunity to support communities by using traditional and natural methods to create perfumes. Items will ship directly from the USA, Canada, UK and France.