Daily Inspiration: Meet Sadaf Kherani

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadaf Kherani.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
For as long as I can remember, fragrance has been my way of anchoring memory, ritual, and emotion. Travel opened me to the beauty of faraway places, and each scent I encountered carried the spirit of that moment long after the journey ended.
A trip to Spain especially stayed with me. The long dinners that stretched into the night, the pause built into the middle of the day, the architecture, the music, the way people moved through life with presence — it changed the way I thought about actually living. That feeling became something I wanted to carry home and share.
Bohème was born from this devotion to storytelling through scent. After years of carving my own path as a creative, entrepreneur, and mother, I wanted to create something that celebrated presence and the art of slowing down. Every candle is an invitation — to pause, to breathe, to remember.
My story is also one of resilience. Bohème was originally based in Los Angeles, and the city’s creative energy played a meaningful role in shaping the brand’s early identity. As we’ve grown, we’ve become much more hands-on with our production and fulfillment, which has allowed me to stay close to the craftsmanship and care behind every product.
Today, Bohème is artisanal, clean, and made for people who see fragrance not as excess, but as meaning. From Kyoto to Fez, Cape Town to Oaxaca, each scent is a reminder that we are all wanderers — seeking depth, story, and presence in a busy world.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — but I don’t think the meaningful ones ever are. Building a product-based business takes so much more than creativity. It takes resilience, financial discipline, and the willingness to keep showing up when things feel uncertain.
I’ve had to learn nearly every part of the business by doing it — product development, production, wholesale, marketing, fulfillment. There were stretches where I was wearing every hat and figuring it out in real time, often while raising my family. Becoming more hands-on with our production has been one of the most rewarding shifts, but also one of the hardest, because the level of detail and consistency it demands is relentless.
I’ve also gone through real personal chapters while growing Bohème — moments where I had to rebuild, refocus, and remind myself why I started in the first place. Those experiences shaped the brand as much as any business decision. They taught me to lead with intention, to protect what matters, and to keep choosing this even on the harder days.
Looking back, the struggles are part of what makes Bohème what it is. The brand has grown alongside me — quieter, more grounded, more sure of itself. And honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Bohème is a travel-inspired fragrance house — every candle and scent is built around a destination or a feeling, from Kyoto to Fez, Cape Town to Oaxaca. I specialize in destination-led storytelling through scent, and I’m deeply involved in every part of the creative process: working directly with fragrance houses on scent development, collaborating with my designer on the visual identity for each city, and overseeing the details that make each product feel intentional and considered.
Some of the moments I’m most proud of are being named a Tory Burch Fellow — which has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my journey as a founder — and being brought into Nordstrom, which is a story I’ll always love telling. Seeing the packaging I’d held in my mind’s eye for so long come to life and live alongside a retailer like that was surreal. Bohème has also been featured in several national and international magazines, which has been a beautiful way to share the brand’s story with new audiences. And I’ve been lucky to be mentored and inspired by some of the most generous, brilliant women in and out of this industry — that community has shaped me as much as anything else.
What sets Bohème apart, I think, is how personal and hands-on it is. I’m involved in the scent, the design, the storytelling, the rituals — nothing is outsourced creatively. And over the years, I’ve learned to lean heavily on intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, I don’t do it. That sounds simple, but it took real work to separate the noise from the choices that actually serve the brand. That instinct is what keeps Bohème feeling soulful instead of trend-driven.
At its heart, Bohème is artisanal, clean, and made for people who experience fragrance as meaning rather than excess — a way to slow down, remember, and feel transported.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Honestly, I think about luck a little differently. The moments people often call “lucky” — meeting the right mentor, ending up in a conversation that changes everything — usually happen because you showed up, stayed open, and were willing to start the conversation in the first place. Some of my most meaningful relationships and opportunities came from trade shows, chance encounters, and conversations that I almost didn’t have. I feel deeply lucky to have crossed paths with the women who have mentored and guided me, but I also know I had to be present and open enough to receive it.
On the other side, I’ve made choices in the past that didn’t serve the brand — usually when I was listening to outside noise instead of my own intuition. I wouldn’t call those bad luck either. They were lessons, and they taught me to trust myself more. That’s actually how I learned to lead Bohème the way I do now: quietly, intentionally, and from the inside out.
So if luck has played a role, it’s been in the form of the people I’ve met and the timing of certain doors opening. But the rest has been intention, instinct, and the willingness to keep going.

Pricing:

• All of our produts are under $40

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bohemefragrances.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohemefragrances