One8, a sports brand started by cricketer Virat Kohli in partnership with Agilitas, has made its official entry into the market. The brand is launching in the sports clothing and footwear segment, which already has strong competition. During its rollout phase, one8 built a digital base of more than 16 lakh Instagram followers, giving it a ready audience at the time of launch.
Who Owns One8
One8 is co-founded by Virat Kohli with Agilitas. The venture works with well-known lifestyle figures like filmmaker Karan Johar and designer Masaba Gupta. It also partners with Indian athletes to build its reach.
The current list includes cricketers Smriti Mandhana, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, and Rajat Patidar. It also has fitness and sports personalities like Pratika Rawal, Pooja Singh, Sohrab Khushrushahi, and Anshuka Parwani.
While India remains the main market, one8 has already found buyers abroad. The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have shown strong early interest, proving that the brand identity is being accepted outside India too.
Sportswear Market in India
The Indian sportswear market is seeing more investment. PlayBlue, a multi-brand sports retail platform, raised 2.7 million US dollars in seed funding this week. PlayBlue was started by Satyam Trivedi and Jayam Vora to bring together over 100 global and Indian brands in footwear, equipment, and nutrition. This shows that Indian buyers are spending more on fitness and sports gear.
PlayBlue was established by sports industry executive Satyam Trivedi and entrepreneur Jayam Vora to integrate over 100 global and homegrown brands across footwear, equipment, and nutrition into experiential physical retail outlets supported by a unified digital inventory system. This broader institutional interest underscores a shifting macroeconomic trend where Indian consumers are scaling up discretionary spending on fitness and athletic gear.
Company View
Agilitas founder Abhishek Ganguly said, “For decades, India has looked up to global sports brands. With one8, our aim is to show what can be built from India with global ambition from day one.” The company is focusing on building a strong community model instead of only using mass advertising.
Next step for one8 is to grow its supply chain to serve both Indian and foreign buyers. The brand will face tough competition from global giants, but early response shows that Indian sports brands can also win a share of the market.
“We have seen an extraordinary response in just the first week — not only in numbers but in what they represent. Every member of this growing community believes in our vision to build a world‑class sports brand from India. This is only the beginning of a much larger journey,” Ganguly said.
Operational focus will now shift toward scaling supply chain infrastructure to meet domestic demand as well as unexpected orders coming from Western markets.
Brand will have to navigate a complex retail environment occupied by deeply entrenched multinational corporations, but the initial demographic reception suggests a viable market share is attainable for homegrown athletic entities.
About Company
Agilitas is a sports brand and manufacturing platform started by former Puma India leaders including Abhishek Ganguly. It works across design, production, and retail. By pairing strong manufacturing with consumer brands like one8, Agilitas aims to compete with global sportswear companies in both product quality and supply chain strength.
