Why Indian Sneakerheads Still Choose Jordans

Dear Reader,

Tomorrow—June 21st—star cricketer Virat Kohli is set to launch his sneaker brand at a mega event in New Delhi. Reports suggest that Punjabi musician Karan Aujla will perform and that thousands of people will show up.

The launch comes at a time when India is seeing a real sneaker boom.

Over the past few years, brands like Comet, Thaely and Gully Labs have gained traction in the country, pitching themselves as homegrown alternatives to global giants like Nike and Adidas. Gully Labs even landed a Rs one crore deal on Shark Tank India.

But here's the thing.

Many of the serious sneakerheads I spoke to own very few or no pairs of Indian sneakers.

"Unless they were seeded these shoes or had some monetary gain out of it, I don't think sneakerheads would buy them," Allen Claudius, a sneakerhead who works in fashion, told me.

Why?

Part of it is hype. As one reseller put it, wearing a coveted pair of Jordans means you're part of a global movement. It helps that these shoes are much more expensive. While Indian brands like Comet typically retail for Rs 4,000-8,000, a pair of Air Jordans can easily cost Rs 15,000-20,000 at retail, and much more on the resale market.

But it's also about stories.

Sneakerheads pointed to the decades of mythology behind brands like Nike and Jordan, from Michael Jordan wearing banned sneakers on court to generations of basketball fans collecting every new release.

And then there's the question of originality.

"I think they are not original," Allen told me.

Even people inside the industry acknowledge some of these criticisms. One designer working at an Indian sneaker company told me that many homegrown brands do take inspiration from global players. But he also argued that building a real sneaker culture takes time.

After all, Nike too didn't start from scratch. Before co-founding Nike, Phil Knight sold Onitsuka Tiger shoes in the US, and some of Nike's earliest designs closely resembled Japanese models.

So, are Indian sneaker brands simply not cool enough?

Or are we comparing them to brands that have had decades to build hype, history and loyal fans?

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Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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