ECOCHANGEMAKER: 25 QUESTIONS TO THE FOUNDER OF KAPDAA®

Nish and the KAPDAA® team are making offcuts their business

"Reusing every piece."

English Version only In this "Eco Changemaker" series we introduce you to inspiring personalities, that are caring for a crucial change in the sustainability industry. Spending as much time in this business as we do, you realize that every step towards a sustainable future counts. When it comes to sustainability in the fashion industry there are a lot of problems to start with: What are sustainable fabrics? How are the garment workers treated throughout the supply chain? How to convince people to consume less and the right things? Another one of those problems is the quite big amount amount of waste that comes with cutting the fabrics. The founder of KAPDAA® the offcut company, Nish, made this waste problem his business.

Upcycling, but pretty.

When he watched his mother cutting fabrics in her designer studio as a little kid, he realized that making fashion also means producing waste. Later when he graduated from university he would build up KAPDAA®, which has a simple yet significant concept: it produces notebooks covers and other accessories with leftover fabrics from different companies in a small production in Mumbai, India. The company that is located in Greater London works on different projects to develop unique pieces for their customers. We teamed up this summer to create some beautiful notebooks. We're happy that Nish took the time and answered our 25 change maker questions below. Enjoy reading!
  1. Your name: Nish
  2. Your age: 35
  3. Where are you from: Born in Mumbai bred in London
  4. Describe your work in three words: Creative - Sustainable - Developing
  5. What is the biggest challenge for your business/ for your team? Explaining / convincing that offcuts can be used to create beautiful sustainable products. 
  6. Who is your biggest supporter/ fan? Mum :)
  7. What would you’ve liked to know first before you founded your company? How challenging it is to run a company and grow
  8. What advise do you have for your 16-year-old-self? Listen to your elders
  9. Is there something you wouldn’t mind missing in your daily work life? Emails
  10. Dog or cat? Dog
  11. Wine or water? Water
  12. What advise can you give to future founder? You are as good as your team.
  13. Digital calendar or old school calendar? Digital
  14. Where would you work if you wouldn’t have founded KAPDAA®? Advertising agency
  15. Sustainability means to you … Reusing every piece
  16. An online magazine/ blog, that you read regularly: Hmm…. None!
  17. When was the last time you didn’t check your mails for 24 hours? While I was learning how to Sky dive 6 weeks ago.
  18. Do you have a spirit animal, like someone who inspires you? Horse
  19.  What book/ tv show is a hot topic at your office right now? Narcos
  20. What’s your most important advertising/ marketing channel? Word of mouth
  21. You are currently looking for … To become a household name for sustainability
  22. Where do you see yourself in five years from now? Teaching entrepreneurship & sustainability.
  23. What do only few people know about you? Play saxophone
  24. What is the latest project that you are working on? Launching a B2C platform
  25. Is there another question that we should’ve asked you? As many as you like
  Interview and text by Sinah. Pictures from KAPDAA®. Big thanks to Nish and his whole team and especially to Kavitha for the lovely contact. Read more about the whole company and our offcut project with KAPDAA® here.

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