Is India the next big sneakers market?

When we talk about Asia and the growing relevance that the Asian market is going to have for the fashion and sneaker industry, India is almost never taken into consideration, a country often associated with an aesthetic anchored to traditions and refractory to innovations. 

As an article published yesterday on Vogue Business reports, things are changing, and fast. India is in fact the second largest footwear market after China, with a value of over $10 billion in 2019, set to grow to $15.5 billion by 2024. In 2020, in the hardest months of lockdown, sneaker and running shoes were the most searched product on Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce owned by Walmart. If in 2016, on the occasion of the first Yeezy release in the country, there were no more than six people camped out to get their hands on the kicks designed by Kanye West, just a few weeks ago the A + P Luna Rossa 21 sneakers - made by Prada in collaboration with adidas - sold out the same day as the drop, testifying to what extent the interest towards the sneaker game has grown in recent years. 

Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20

Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20

Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20

Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20

Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20

Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20

However, there is a discrepancy between the interest of a transversal audience of sneaker enthusiasts - very varied in terms of demographics and origins - and the places where the most exclusive and anticipated releases are actually available. In fact, there are still few companies fully devoted to sneaker culture, such as the VegNonVeg and Superkicks boutiques, which opened in Mumbai in 2018. Consumers have to deal with higher prices due to customs duties and are often forced to turn to independent resellers or to platforms like StockX. In general, many sneakerheads were used to getting their hands on the most sought after sneakers abroad, during trips and stays that are difficult to replicate in these months of health emergency. 

Despite the impossibility of travelling, the now fundamental importance of social media and in particular Instagram has eliminated the distances once present between India and the rest of the world, increasing interest in sneakers like never before Now. A boost also given by several Bollywood actors, still trendsetters, who once photographed with a pair of sneakers on their feet rekindled the debate on the trend. 

Collaborations are the most successful releases in the country, a detail that did not go unnoticed to the brands of the sector, which are redesigning the maps of their drops. However, it's not only the sportswear giants who benefit from the sneaker boom in India, but also brands originating in the country, young and emerging labels that seek to combine traditional and historical Indian imagery with contemporary taste, thus creating a new aesthetic dominant. Last October, in fact, the Indian online shopping portal Ajio introduced a new section on its website, Sneakerhood, which, in addition to hosting the official calendar of the FW, is a platform where international and Indian footwear brands are present, and where exclusive and limited edition releases are released. The first step towards an even more widespread expansion of the Indian sneaker game.