This week, we speak to Payal Khemka, the founder of Super Panda Invites. What began as a deeply personal passion project soon became a calling. While planning her own wedding in Goa, Khemka discovered that no invitation quite captured the story she wanted to tell, so she painted it herself. Each illustration, brushstroke, and detail reflected not just an event, but a feeling. The response from friends and family was immediate and unmistakable, transforming what started as a creative labour of love into the foundation of what would become Super Panda Invites.
Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
Today, Khama channels that same intuitive artistry into every bespoke commission, reimagining wedding stationery as an extension of a couple’s narrative rather than a formality. At Super Panda Invites, invitations are not merely announced,they are illustrated, personalised, and thoughtfully composed, becoming keepsakes in their own right.
With a focus on hand-painted design and meaningful storytelling, Payal has carved out a niche that celebrates individuality, proving that sometimes the most fulfilling careers are born not from ambition alone, but from following a creative instinct all the way to its fullest expression.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Art classes, always. And oddly enough, science diagrams. I loved anything visual that required observation, structure, and imagination coming together.
What was your first job?
I’ve actually never had a conventional “job.” I went straight from college into building things on my own. That said, I did a short internship post-college with renowned Indian fashion designer Neeta Lulla, which gave me a front-row seat to craftsmanship, scale, and creative discipline at a very early stage.
What brought you to Dubai?
Exposure and perspective. Dubai sits at a crossroads of cultures, design sensibilities, and global ambition. Being here pushed me to think bigger, refine my aesthetic, and understand what it means to build a brand that speaks beyond borders.
What inspired you to enter this space and launch your brand?
It started very personally. I designed a personalised invitation for my own wedding, purely out of love and curiosity. What I didn’t anticipate was how strongly people connected with it. That one project organically grew into Super Panda Invites.
Talk us through the concept.
Super Panda Invites is built on the idea that wedding stationery can be deeply personal, story-driven, and artistic without being templated or transactional. Every couple has a narrative, and our role is to translate that into illustration-led, thoughtfully designed invitations and stationery that feel timeless yet full of character.
What are the key elements of your role?
I wear multiple hats – creative direction, illustration style, concept development, client storytelling, and overall brand vision. At the core, my role is to ensure that every project feels intentional, emotionally resonant, and unmistakably Super Panda.
Talk us through your daily routine.
No two days look the same – and that’s the best part. My day usually moves between creative deep work, client conversations, team reviews, and problem-solving. Some days are spent illustrating quietly, others are full of calls, planning, and decision-making. It’s a constant balance between creativity and structure.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Keep taking risks. I’m still figuring things out myself. The scariest projects are almost always the most rewarding ones. Growth rarely feels comfortable while it’s happening.
Payal Khemka, Founder of Super Panda Invites
Tell us more about the services.
We specialise in bespoke wedding invitations, illustrated stationery suites, wedding logos, save-the-dates, and day-of stationery. Everything is custom, no templates – designed to reflect the couple’s story, culture, and personality.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Trust your gut. It’s cliché, but it’s true. Every time my instinct told me to avoid a certain project or client and I ignored it, the outcome wasn’t great.
And what is the worst?
That you need a lot of experience before you’re allowed to try something new. Waiting for permission or “enough years” only delays learning.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
Learning as I build. There was no fixed roadmap – just a lot of figuring things out in real time, making mistakes, and growing through them.
What lies ahead for the brand?
We’re in an expansion and growth phase. The last five years have been a rollercoaster learning curve, and now it feels like the right moment to apply all that experience more intentionally, more strategically, and at a larger scale.
– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Images: Instagram & Image: Instagram @tialineker
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: emirateswoman.com
