Back in 1955, Raj Kapoor, in Shree 420, was already flexing his Japanese joota (let’s call it the Mexico 66 before it even was the Mexico 66), English trousers, and red cap, all while singing about his Hindustani heart. Fast-forward to today, and we’re still knee-deep in the same existential dilemma: culturally rich, deeply traditional, yet sartorially chasing the West. Nowhere is this more apparent than at ground level—our feet. Step outside a club, and you’ll spot more Dunk Lows than actual people. AF1s, Jordans, Yeezys—they’ve become so ubiquitous they rival chaiwalas in metro cities. Sneakers aren’t just part of the outfit; they’re part of the identity. At this rate, our shoes might be speaking louder than our mother tongues. 
 

And despite Virgil Abloh’s once-bold declaration that streetwear is dead, India’s sneaker game is very much alive and stomping. It’s growing faster than limited-edition drops, with both local and global players flooding the market. “The perception of sneakers has transformed significantly in the last decade,” says Nisha Lulla, co-founder of Superkicks India. “What used to be a niche subculture is now a mainstream fashion statement. You see sneakers across age groups, and demographics—even in Tier 2 and 3 cities. They’re everywhere, and brands are taking notice with more accessible price points.” 

But there’s a wrinkle in this otherwise perfect pair of kicks. While the market is saturated, the cultural narrative around sneakers in India feels thin. “Our interest in Jordans, Sambas, and Onitsuka Tigers is an import of another culture,” says Abhishek Gandhi, co-founder of AYCS (All You Can Street), one of India’s largest streetwear festivals. Western sneaker culture has roots and stories. We need to create our own reasons for the sneakers we wear. India’s sneaker scene is evolving, but it risks becoming a loop of the same international brands pushing the same releases. The hype is palpable but starting to feel predictable. 
 

This poses a challenge for homegrown brands trying to lace up and make their mark. With Nike, Adidas, and their ilk dominating the scene, Indian brands are still figuring out how to create something that feels rooted in local culture. “It’s still all about the big international names,” says Mihir Joshi, musician and host of Just Talk Sneakers on Zee Café India. “We’ve got some promising brands like Comet and Gully Labs, but they’re not yet commanding the traction global giants enjoy.” 

The secret to breaking through? Stories. Authentic, compelling, local stories. “Nike didn’t just sell sneakers; it sold dreams. Michael Jordan turned a pair of shoes into a symbol for a generation,” Joshi points out. “In India, the potential lies in cricket and Bollywood. If Indian brands tap into these cultural powerhouses, the impact could be massive.” 
 

Some brands are starting to crack the code. Comet’s collaboration with artist Yashraj and influencer Santanu Hazarika brought a fresh spin to homegrown sneakers. Meanwhile, Gully Labs infused hockey-inspired designs into their shoes, celebrating national pride and sporting heritage. These efforts feel authentic, speaking to Indian sensibilities beyond just looking good. 

However, the technological gap between Indian and international brands remains. Indian brands still lag behind in sneaker tech—there’s no local equivalent of Nike’s Air or Adidas’s Boost yet. And the infrastructure to craft innovative designs on par with global giants? Still a work in progress. 
 

But hope is on the horizon. Joshi believes collaborations with cultural icons—think Diljit Dosanjh or Raftaar—could democratise sneaker culture and push it beyond the urban elite. “It’s about access,” he explains. “These figures have huge followings. Partnering with them could bring sneakers to the masses and make the culture feel more inclusive.” 

Sustainability also offers a unique path forward. Gandhi highlights Thaely, a homegrown brand turning plastic waste into sneakers, as a shining example. “Thaely isn’t just selling shoes; it’s selling a purpose,” he says. Lulla agrees: “Thaely shows how conscious design and cultural relevance can intersect beautifully. Sustainability is the future, and Thaely is making it cool.” 
 

As India’s sneaker culture finds its footing, one thing is clear: the future belongs to local stories, authenticity, and bold experimentation. Brands like Gully Labs, Comet, and Thaely are doing more than making shoes—they’re crafting narratives that resonate with a uniquely Indian sensibility. 
 

But how are they navigating this revolution? What hurdles do they face as they attempt to carve out a niche in a market crowded with global giants? To find out, I sat down with the visionaries behind India’s three biggest homegrown brands, each taking steps to shape the future of Indian sneakers—one sole at a time. 

Gully Labs 

Gully Labs blends India’s street culture with bold experimentation. Known for sneakers that make unapologetic cultural statements, with colourful designs and use of in-your-face branding, the brand celebrates everything from cricket and hip-hop to local music and sports. 
 

Interview with Animesh Mishra, one of the co-founders of Gully Labs, alongside Arjun Singh 

Where did the name "Gully Labs" come from? 
Gully Labs has a twofold meaning that captures the essence of the brand. Literally, “gully” refers to India’s streets, where life unfolds authentically. It’s a simple, memorable word with international appeal. “Labs” symbolizes experimentation—Gully Labs pushes boundaries in design, storytelling, and collaborations. 

Culturally, “gully” holds deeper significance. India’s raw talent in sports, music, dance, and art often originates from these streets. Gully cricket, rap scenes, and local performances all begin in these spaces, especially in smaller cities. From personal experience, I’ve seen these gullies become laboratories of creativity, resilience, and dreams. 
 

Were you hesitant about competing with giants like Nike, Puma, etc? 
Not at all. We saw it as a huge opportunity. Shoes are a necessity and will always be relevant. While the market may seem saturated, it’s dominated by just a few brands like Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Puma. For a product everyone wears, only six or seven brands cater to billions. That’s where we saw the gap. We wanted to build a premium brand with character, one that speaks through design and storytelling. 

What Indian influences do you think can spark a sneaker movement like hip-hop or sports in the West? 
Our framework is built around four key passion points that resonate with India, and we aim to engage with them authentically. First, music and dance—Indian hip-hop is booming, and we’re tapping into it through drops like Baaz Indrani, which focuses on music and dance. 

Next, sports, with a special focus on hockey and football. While cricket dominates, hockey has a rich legacy that often gets overlooked. We aim to highlight it. Football, too, is growing, and it’s personal for me—my dad was a footballer, so I want to represent the sport meaningfully. 

Culture is another big one. India’s diversity in language, traditions, and regional affinities offers endless stories to explore. Finally, travel—Indian travellers are connecting with accessible, relatable destinations like road trips to Spiti or visits to Manali. These grounded experiences are what we want to represent. 
 

How do you get people to choose your brand over established ones? 
It’s less about convincing and more about resonating with them. A brand is its persona, and if people connect with it, the purchase follows. For us, interest comes first. With Gully Labs, our approach to branding is a bit unconventional. A lot of people don't buy into it because of the bold, in-your-face branding at the back. People have called it ugly, said it's too loud, and that it looks like a billboard. We’ve heard all kinds of feedback. 

But here’s the thing—we intentionally made that choice. We wanted the fonts—whether it’s Hindi, Malayalam, or Bengali—to stand out. We want people to take pride in their culture, and their literature and represent that as boldly as someone would represent a swoosh. It’s a statement. 

What goes into designing your sneakers? 
Everything’s in-house—design, production, content creation. We start with concept boarding, deciding on themes like sports or dance. Then we choose colourways, materials, and technical elements. For example, skate shoes need abrasion-resistant leather to handle wear from skateboards. 

We also factor in Indian conditions—heat, humidity, and daily wear. Our insoles are super comfortable, and we use bamboo lycra for breathability and odour resistance. It’s all about balancing form and function. 
 

What sneaker trends do you see for 2025? 
Bright, urban colours like pink will dominate. Asymmetrical lacing is making a comeback, and evergreen silhouettes like Palermo will remain popular. 

Comet 

Comet celebrates India’s nostalgia through unique designs, drawing inspiration from everyday Indian experiences like mangoes, laddis (firecrackers), and ice golas. 
 

Interview with Utkarsh Gupta, Co-founder of Comet, alongside Dishant Daryani 

Where did the name "Comet" come from? 
We started about two and a half years ago, focusing on product development and branding. The idea sparked while I was in Chicago, immersed in sneaker culture—Jordans, Yeezys—it was a hotspot. My roommate and I were practically getting an MBA in sneakers during our MBA program. When I looked at the Indian market, I saw global brands treating it as an afterthought, offering spillover products without meaningful engagement. Sneaker culture thrives on storytelling, and no one was doing that here. That inspired me to return and start Comet. 

My co-founder and I spent 8–12 months perfecting the product. Footwear is complex, with 25–35 components per shoe, which is why there are fewer homegrown footwear brands. The name "Comet" comes from our shared love of space. A comet disrupts, breaks monotony, and follows its path. It symbolises energy, individuality, and wonder—qualities we wanted in our brand. 
 

What’s the biggest challenge in competing with global brands? 
Gupta: The product. Creating a high-quality sneaker at a price point accessible to Indian audiences is tough.  

We spent a lot of time tailoring the design for Indian feet, which are broader due to evolutionary differences. Indian feet evolved in hotter climates, often wearing open footwear, while Europeans adapted to closed shoes in colder weather. This meant redesigning shapes and focusing on durable soles. In India, walking surfaces are uneven, so durable soles with great traction and high-quality rubber are essential. This foundational work was challenging and time-consuming. 

What cultural influences inspire your designs? 
To build a brand that truly resonates, you have to stay in touch with what feels real. For us, that means focusing on emotions that matter to Indian audiences. Sure, skateboards and basketballs might seem "cool" in some contexts, but they don’t belong to our cultural fabric. 

Take our first launch, the Mango shoe. When you see a mango, it instantly makes you happy—it’s tied to summers and joyful moments. We captured that vibe in the design, colours, and even the packaging that looked like a mango crate with shredded paper inside. It was all about bottling that nostalgia. 

Since then, storytelling has been our focus. For Diwali, we launched the Pataka shoe, inspired by laddis—the firecrackers we grew up bursting. I remember childhood contests in Kanpur with my cousins, trying to light the biggest laddi. We brought that feeling to life with embossed laddi patterns, charred soles, and wick-like laces. It took almost a year to perfect, but it was worth it. 

Then came the Jugnoo shoe, inspired by fireflies. We recreated the magical feeling of seeing them glow in the dark with shoes that lit up. The Ice Gola shoe was pure summer nostalgia. The idea sparked from a gola’s syrup dripping onto a shoe. We thought, “What if you could dip your shoes in gola syrup and dye them?” Even a simple game of Ludo inspired us. One evening, playing with my nephew, I thought—why not design a shoe around it? 

For us, it’s about taking what’s authentically cool in India—mangoes, laddis, ice golas, and Ludo—and turning them into something wearable. Skateboards and basketballs aren’t what’s cool here. Real cool is what connects us to our roots. 

How long does it take to design and produce a sneaker? 
It varies. For some shoes, it’s four to six months from sketch to warehouse. For others, especially new models with custom soles, it can take a year or more. 

The sole is the bottleneck—it’s a beast. You’re dealing with mould creation, material testing, density calculations, abrasion testing, and so on. For example, just opening a mould can take a month. Testing takes another. And if something’s off, you’re back to square one, tweaking and retesting. And that’s before we even get to the uppers, the colourways, or the storytelling for that model. The whole process adds up quickly. But it’s worth it. We don’t take shortcuts. 

Thaely 

Thaely walks the talk when it comes to sustainability, turning plastic waste into stylish sneakers with their innovative ThaelyTex fabric. 
 

Interview with Ashay Bhave, Founder of Thaely 

What’s the story behind the name "Thaely"? 
The name "Thaely" comes from the Hindi word for plastic bags, which reflects our mission to turn waste into something meaningful. The inspiration came from my own experiences—witnessing the environmental damage of single-use plastic bags and learning about the struggles of waste pickers through my mother’s involvement in a local waste management facility. Thaely symbolizes both the problem we’re addressing and the solution we’ve created—sustainable sneakers made from ThaelyTex, a material crafted from recycled plastic bags. It’s a reminder of our commitment to a circular economy and a future where waste is given new life. 
 

What challenges have you faced in establishing a homegrown sneaker brand? 
To carve our unique identity. Our focus on sustainability and innovation has been our strongest advantage. Unlike many larger brands, we don’t just adopt eco-friendly practices as an afterthought—sustainability is the very foundation of what we do. Educating consumers about the environmental impact of their choices and why products like ours, crafted from recycled materials, are worth supporting has required time and persistence. Additionally, scaling production while staying true to our values has been challenging.  

What Indian cultural inspirations influence your sneakers? 
For Thaely, skating culture and Y2K fashion were key inspirations early on. At the same time, we’re deeply influenced by India’s rich tapestry of art, craftsmanship, and storytelling. As a fashion-forward brand, we take cues from avant-garde designers like Rick Owens and Margiela, blending experimental aesthetics with global and local influences to create sneakers that feel both boundary-pushing and rooted in culture.  
 

How do you design a Thaely sneaker? 
It often starts with a sketch, inspired by often-overlooked objects around us. Our upcoming range takes a lot of inspiration from Indian kitchens for example. We begin with a concept—be it cultural, functional, or experimental. Using ThaelyTex, we prototype designs that balance style, durability, and comfort. Post that, we begin producing textiles from plastic waste as per our production needs. The process from inspiration to production takes anywhere from three months to a year. A lot of time, thought and sweat goes into everything we put out. 

Image Credits - Onitsuka Tiger, Nike, Gully Labs, Comet, Thaely