Inspirational Woman: Puja Mapxencar

Why did you set up the company? / What drove you to become an Entrepreneur?

During a lunch break in office I got a call from my higher secondary school teacher and I remembered an assignment of my 12th Standard. I had created a layout of my future store and had named it KANDIDA.

The phone call from my teacher was an ice breaking moment for me and I decided to leave my job to make my family proud and try living to up to their expectations. The sole idea of becoming an entrepreneur with no much career experience, was a full swing of passion.

There was a lot of risks I could have thought about, but due to overwhelming help from family and friends everything seemed to go smoothly that in few months from the time of the launch of my label we have achieved so much.

Goa is a state where getting employment is a issue but as a tourist state I realized that it’s the best international market in a national state for fashion start-ups and a good chance to give employment to our fellow Goans.

Hence I decided that this was the best way to set up my label in Goa.

What has been your biggest challenge in achieving your success?

As a designer I was always close to Indian traditions Art and Culture but I was more inclined to quirky prints and innovation. Hence I decided to merge all these elements as my USP and create Indian quirky prints with Indian inspirations in every collection on my kurtas. The biggest challenge faced was to try popularising my style of designs to all the fashion conscious people around and to run the company with less funds with big goals.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

My Grandparents, my dad and my love for INDIA were my sole inspirations for my brand. KANDIDA the name itself stands for their names (KAN-Kanchan, DI-Dinesh, DA-Damodar) and as the founder of the brand my main aim was to dedicate this brand in their name. Our family had been in Germany for more than three decades, but the lifestyle from food to clothing and language was completely Indian. It seemed that they never forgot their roots of been a Indian although we had German passports, but and they made me love Indian Culture and traditions more than anyone in the family.

Can you recommend any organisations or networking groups that have particularly helped you on your journey?

Rotaract Club of Vasco-Da-Gama, Rotary Club of Vasco-da-gama, BNI Odyssey Goa, 100 Sundays Throwback Goa Travel group and Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry are the key groups that helped me in the journey of opening a business on my own.

If you could ask for one thing to help propel your business what would it be?

As we say it’s a great challenge to start your own firm but to manage it with new creativity ideas is a risk as well as a huge challenge. Hence I am looking for an investor who can mentor us and also be a financial supporter for great future returns.

I am also looking for participating in tradeshows and franchisers who want to open my label in any part of India and its fashion shows.

What does the future hold for you?

As a designer I really want to expand my business through fashion shows, exhibitions, tradeshows and stores of KANDIDA nationally and internationally.

About Kandida

KANDIDA Fashion 3 Kandida has set out to provide multidimensional cultural and ethnic couture that radiates elegance, fabulousness and funkiness. We are special in making getting a theme based collection every four months.

The designers at Kandida keep in mind the needs of every woman; the student, the working girl, the professional as well as the mother to create pieces for all palates.

The brand “KANDIDA” is an online designer wear brand that sells Indian eco-ethnic funky wear on the site www.kandida.in and also online shopping portals like amazon, flipkart, shopclues, Cheerkart.com, Paytm, Snapdeal, Craftsvilla, Shopo and Kraftly. The brand has its 1st flagship Store opened at Nizmar Centre, AB Road, Panaji Goa.

The label was started on October 2015 and in the month of December we started selling in all shopping portals.

Our products

KANDIDA Apparels
Our apparel combines exciting, bold prints, highlighted by embroidery on organic fabrics with experimental silhouettes aredesigned especially for the contemporary woman. The blend of these elements and the fusion of western and traditional inspirations is what makes our brand one of a kind.

Our collections are brilliant examples of the vibrancy of Indian traditions with spark of modern uniqueness.

Philosophy of the Label

Kan-Di-Da is a beautiful braid of the three most significant people in my life. My grandmother Kanchan, father Dinesh and grandfather Damodar. Our family lived in Germany for more than three decades and were referred to as “IndischArtzFamille”(The Indian Doctor Family) with respect. Despite all the German influences, INDIA was the only inspiration for this brand and their lives, the name Kandida was created using the first syllable of their names. Kan(chan) + Di(nesh) + Da(modar) = Kan-Di-Da.

We Specialize in:

Print – We create prints for every season which are inspired by Indian quirky

Embroidery – We use embroidery to give it that extra sprinkle of life to push our art out of its two dimensions to three.

Experimental Silhouettes – When we say our clothes set you free, we’re not only referring to our prints and fabric but our styles and fits too. Our cuts guarantee comfort without compromising on style.

KANDIDA Accessories – We care that you are apart of KANDIDA and that’s what matters to us in every way! We cater to traditional and contemporary Earrings, Necklaces, bracelets, anklets and rings made of different materials like semi-precious metal jewelry, Terracotta Jewellery, Sterling Silver Jewellery, paper quilling, and Polymer Clay which is handcrafted with elegance and are safe for your skin.