About Bahari

The Bahari Story 

Bahari means the ocean in Kiswahili and was founded by Tanzanian-born Luu Borafia to offer superior quality luxury apparel in timeless fabrics. Bahari’s values are softness, gentle and calm luxury.

Bahari is inspired by Luu’s late mother and the luxury and escapism of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous island and part of Tanzania. Luu’s late mother, Khadija Masoud Borafia (1947 - 1996), was born in Zanzibar. She was a really special woman who touched the lives and hearts of so many people, especially in her Tanzanian community.

Known for her kindness, humility, elegance and style, Luu’s mother sadly died in 1996. For years, Luu wanted so much to honour her memory and this is how the vision of Bahari developed. Luu, passionate about sustainable luxury, wanted to curate beautiful timeless gentle and calm luxury womenswear and also encourage sustainable employment, training and opportunities for women and girls from the island of Zanzibar.

The island of Zanzibar is a really beautiful island of about 1.8 million people on the East Coast of Africa.  Zanzibar is well known for Freddie Mercury, its turquoise ocean and pristine white sand and fascinating history interlinking the cultures of Africa, Arabia, Asia and the Far East.