Made in India but not made for India?

Made in India but not made for India?

The rapid growth of the Indian market has led to the availability of many brands, including the emergence of Indian brands, especially in the fashion industry. Many Indian textile brands, such as BIBA, Sabhyasachi, and Manyavar, are now competing against foreign companies like Zara and Prada.

But the growth of Indian brands in the fashion Industry is not uniform; the Indian footwear industry is struggling to adapt to new-generation consumerism. A massive wave of sneaker culture started in the late 20th century. Sneakers are a special kind of shoe designed for sports like basketball and skateboarding, but today they are the go-to choice for people of all ages.

Sneakers are comfortable to wear, have greater durability than normal footwear, and, due to their versatility, are easy to style with any kind of outfit. For today’s youth, they are not just a fashion product but a way to describe themselves. Many people like to collect sneakers; they are known as sneaker heads. Footwear brands like NIKE, JORDAN, ADIDAS, and PUMA are known for their high-quality sneakers.

Where do the Indian brands stand in this race? There are several Indian sneaker brands, such as GULLY LAB, COMET, 7–10, etc., which create premium and day-to-day wear sneakers, but they don’t have the market share as foreign brands. Many Indians prefer foreign brands over homegrown brands, despite being more costly than Indian brands.

Several studies were conducted to determine why Indian consumers prefer foreign brands over their homegrown brands. “In discussions on Reddit communities such as r/IndianFashionAddicts and r/SneakersIndia, several users reported concerns regarding comfort, pricing, and originality among emerging Indian sneaker brands.”

Many consumers state that Indian sneakers brands are overpriced for quality they provide, as per several reddit forum; sneaker brands like GULLY LAB, COMET’s sneakers are not very comfortable to wear for longer hours, Many sneaker heads note that several new, affordable Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Indian sneaker brands heavily copy global silhouettes (like Nike Air Force 1s, Dunks, or New Balance models) instead of creating original designs. And those designs that they create by themselves are too loud for sneaker standards.

While taking inspiration from foreign brands, Indian brands often overlook the fact that the Indian demography is not the same as foreign brands, and the foot structure of the Indian consumer is quite different. As per article from Shoegazing “In depth feet shape around world”; It stated that “Often European feet shapes are treated as standard for shoe making, although Asian feet’s are smaller and wider than European, that’s why Indian consumers usually complain about size issue; either they are too small for their feet or too big, women with wider toe have to purchase shoe from men’s section which are not meant for female body type.

While production quality is a major issue in the Indian footwear industry, visibility also plays a key role. Even after having hundreds of Indian footwear brands, very few are known in the market. When Consumers say Indian brands are overpriced with quality issues, they often refer to those few famous brands.

There are several brands that are capable of competing with foreign brands in terms of quality; they are especially designed for the Indian climate and body types. Then why don’t consumers want them?

The answer to this question is very simple; while shopping for anything, consumers often look for these things;

The public image — Consumers look for reviews from previous users or people who often try products from different brands. Due to large market coverage by foreign brands, people tend to go for already established brands rather than trying a new one.

Finding a perfect fit — Indian brands are scattered around; unlike international brands, they don’t have a single platform, which makes them hard to track. Because each brand has its own page, comparing them requires constant switching from one page to another. Due to all of this, consumers prefer paying extra and going for an already established brand rather than doing all this hustle to save some money.

In sum, Indian sneaker culture is still in a developing stage, with an increasing population of youngsters, sneakers are going to be prominent footwear in a few years; the Indian footwear industry needs to grow along with new consumers by adopting their choice and preference in order to sustain in the market. Having a common platform to bring the limelight to underrated sneaker brands would be a huge step towards the empowerment of the Indian footwear industr