About us

In 1859 Clemente Candido founded the company which, from its origins until today, has always dealt with clothing.

At a time when the concept and marketing of clothing was founded, as they are currently known, they did not exist and the activity was focused on the marketing of fabrics,

leather, buttons and everything needed to make a piece of clothing (the packaged dress was born around the 1960s).

Since its origin the shop has been in the same building, but it consisted of only two rooms which looked directly onto the square; these premises currently correspond to the prospectus of today's store.

The second and third generations have been of fundamental importance as they have given important inputs and contributions in the management of the activity, widening the range of customers from just knitwear to all the countries of the lower Salento.

The company, rather than being subject to these impositions, decided to close in the years of the conflict; this decision was also due to the fact that the procurement of raw materials and products necessary for the activity had become very difficult and expensive to find and the market dynamics were not favorable and correct at that time.

The activity reopened at the turn of '46 -'47 and enjoyed, like all of Italy, a very active period and a recovery of both markets and the national economy in general; in those years the company had a more than positive trend and in 1959, on the occasion of the centenary, it was decided to expand the business by expanding the surface of the store occupying the entire building.

In those years the product category dealt with by the company was always that of fabrics and leather goods with, in addition, a new department dedicated to all that was necessary for the outfit (ie household linen); this department was introduced because in the families of the time there was the tradition of preparing the trousseaus for the daughters in anticipation of the moment when they would be married, and therefore they would have moved away from the house of their family.

The new department therefore treated tablecloths, sheets, pillowcases and the like; the shop departments were therefore fabrics for men, fabrics for women and household linen.

An important turning point in the clothing market came at the end of the 1960s; in this period the packaging is born and the first companies that produce ready-made clothing appear on the market.

Since the end of the 1980s, the tradition of household linen and household linen has been dying, while in parallel the market for packaging and accessories (bags, shoes, leather goods, today very important) has taken off.

In 1978 the sales area of ​​the store was increased again, extending it also to the third floor of the building and moving offices, administration and warehouses to a nearby building specially used for this purpose; this is the current configuration of the store, which consists of three floors for a total of approximately 2,000 square meters of sales area.

To keep up with the times over the years, the premises have always been renovated, creating spaces and furnishings that exalt the pleasure of buying and the visibility of the products on sale, remaining in any case always consistent with the initial idea of ​​style and sobriety , up to the present day.

Today Candido 1859 dresses the whole family, making younger customers grow through the different departments of the same store.

In 2012 the company was included in the REGISTER OF HISTORIC COMPANIES - The companies that made the history of Italy by Unioncamere, the union of the Chambers of Commerce of Italy.