Dulce Celia Couture is the brainchild of Sid Kapoor. Meaning ‘Sweet Goddess,’ Dulce Celia is a 20 year old home grown, couture brand that has been customizing bridal, evening & prom gowns for the international market. Beginning with Melbourne, Dulce Celia has been working in markets like Paris, London, Milan, Dubai and New York. Sid has been working with local artisans in and around Calcutta to create bespoke outfits that have been featured in Paris & New York fashion weeks to create outfits that are designed and handcrafted in Calcutta. Each garment is hand embroidered with custom designs and patterns to create a bespoke outfit that is yours, just yours.

A one of its kind brand Sid now plans to launch Dulce Celia in the Indian market. In an exclusive interview he says

Where/How do you get your best ideas?

In the airplane. The white noise in the flights helps me calm down. It’s then that my brain is at its creative best.

What’s something they don’t teach you in University that you should probably know?

Life skills, the power to persevere. There is very little emphasis given to training one to deal with life and its unexpected complexities.

First thing you do as soon as you wake up?

I sip a glass of water like it were wine. It feels like nectar, with each sip, slowly, trickling down my parched throat. 

What do you hope to see happen in the near future for small businesses in the country?

Small businesses are successful because of their ability to keep costs frugal. I hope that governing bodies allow the portals that are used for taxes the permissions, etc. to become single windows and easy to use for anyone.

What was your biggest stroke of luck since the launch of your company?

I have had many such strokes of luck but the one that transformed my vision was when I first visited Paris in 2003. I was most excited about my visit to the fashion capital. However, as I didn’t have a standing in the fashion world, I was not allowed to view any of the shows. This made my resolve even stronger to succeed.

What question do you ask at interviews?

For me to know a person I must know what fulfils them. For some its money, success or power. The best way to know a person’s intentions are to know what makes them feel complete. It helps me decode the persons brain.

How do you maintain work/life balance?

My work is a part of my personality. While I am at work, I am performing tasks that are assigned by me to myself. When I am at home, I am able to get a bird’s eye view of my company and that is what helps me navigate it .

A childhood memory that shaped something you do in your business today?

My father was a textile trader and I used to visit his work place as a child. I loved to cut fabrics of different colours and arrange them in a way that I felt was best colour coordinated. I can’t  get over the pleasure of cutting and feeling fabric even today.

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

The only advice that ever worked for me was that one should only take advice from people who have had to persevere to be where they are today. There is no better teacher than failure and the only way to be successful is to persist even in the face of hardships.

Rapid Fire Round

• What’s your favourite app?

Stocks App. A few numbers can express how the country’s economy is doing.

• Your favourite fashion trend of all time?

Black – Timeless and endless.

• Best fashion advice you’ve ever received?

One’s entire wardrobe should be black. It never lets you down!

• Trend you would like to see disappear forever?

Hair colour. It disgusts me to no end!

• It is your best friend’s wedding, what would you be wearing? 

The quintessential Dhoti & a kurta. 

• A celebrity you’d love to dress?

Princess Diana . She shattered stigma with her grace.

• If you could time warp yourself to any point in history when it would be, who would you hang out with?

Mother Terresa.