How Sneaker Resellers & D2C Brands Are Cashing In On India's $6 Bn Boom

Remember those white gym/PT shoes you had to wear every Saturday in school? We know how much you hated them. Keeping them spotless was as rare as the comfort they offered. We’ve all been in those shoes. But, what if we told you that the latest sneakers you just bought are simply their distant cousins?

Allow us to explain how history has unfolded for sneakers. In 1830, Liverpool Rubber Company developed rubber-soled shoes, called plimsolls, which mirrored today’s typical PT shoe. These became the very first sneakers, deriving the name from how quiet they were while walking due to vulcanised rubber soles.

What started as basic footwear for a seaside stroll (as you will find on the internet) transformed into a cultural phenomenon decades later, driven by exclusivity, brand prestige, aspirations and lifestyle.

The influence is so profound that Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototype was sold for a mind-boggling $1.8 Mn in 2021. Not just this, names like Nike’s Air Jordan and Adidas’ Yeezy have turned sneakers into collectables. Also, the rarer they are, the more their value rises. Some sneakers have even appreciated more than gold. A perfect example is The Nike SB Dunk Low “Paris”.

But, why are we telling you this?

Well, India is witnessing a sneaker revolution right now, and this revolution is getting a charge-up on the back of a new generation of consumers who see sneakers as an extension of personal identity.

The craze is such that the country saw its first sneaker-themed bar, KICO, open in Mumbai earlier this year. Another interesting sight to behold is Indian brides walking down the aisle wearing sneakers.

To cater to this increasing fervour for sneakers among Indians, many sneaker reselling marketplaces have sprung up in the last few years with a simple playbook — to lead India’s sneaker revolution. Fresh players, too, are emerging to claim their share of the booming market. India’s sneaker market is projected to grow from $3.8 Bn in FY24 to $5.9 Bn in FY32, with a CAGR of 5.45%, .

What’s Fuelling India’s Crush For Sneakers

It has much to do with the growing battalion of new-age consumers flocking away from traditional retailers in search of limited-edition drops or something exclusive in sync with their persona. Further, an increasing number of officegoers could now be seen dressed more bravely, pairing their streetwear with sneakers at their workplaces.

“A decade ago, formals and loafers dominated workplaces, meetings, and even social gatherings. Today, sneakers have replaced them everywhere — offices, vacations, and even weddings,” Danish Chawla, the cofounder of sneaker reseller Find Your Kicks said.

The founder of sneaker reseller Crepdog Crew (CDC), Anchit Kapil, believes this shift is not only about comfort but identity.

“Sneakers have become an aspirational product, a status symbol, and a form of self-expression. The same consumers who buy iPhones, sip on exotic coffee, and shop at premium stores are now investing in limited-edition sneakers,” Kapil said.

As a result, the market has expanded beyond Gen Z to include millennials. Individuals even in their 30s and 40s see sneakers as a lifestyle necessity, he added.

However, according to Utkarsh Gupta, the founder of D2C sneaker brand Comet, there are other factors at play as well. For instance, what has worked for Comet is how . The D2C brand takes inspiration from how shoes are being turned into canvases globally for personal and cultural narratives.

Comet identified that no player in India was doing this, hence it adopted the concept to launch its first sneakers, the Mango shoe, as a tribute to India’s love for mangoes.

Having found its PMF, Comet claims to now be serving 12,000 customers per month, with an average order value of INR 4,000–6,000.

Comet’s playbook testifies that sneakers are no longer just about aesthetics or comfort. They could mirror the personalities of their wearers, which could be rooted in sports, hip-hop, streetwear, or cultural nostalgia.

A Goldmine Called Sneakerheads

Amid the rising global fervour for sneakers around 2020, India caught the bug, too. This led to the creation of sneaker-focussed Instagram communities. As their consumer base grew, real businesses started to take shape.

One example is that of Find Your Kicks. Started as an Instagram community in 2020, the online sneaker marketplace (reseller) operated in that capacity for nearly a year and a half before transitioning into a marketplace model.

With the sneaker market growing at a 10-11% CAGR, Find Your Kicks today claims to sell 2,000-2,500 pairs monthly, with an average order value of INR 10,000-11,000.

Similarly, sneaker marketplace Hustle Culture was launched in September 2020. Initially launched as an Instagram page to connect buyers and sellers, Hustle Culture has since evolved into a full-fledged marketplace.

The company claims to have experienced 5X sales growth since July 2024. As of March 2025, it was selling around 500 sneakers a month, with an average order value of 10,000-13,000.

How Do Sneaker Reselling Marketplaces Operate?

Sneaker marketplaces bridge the gap between buyers and sellers, guaranteeing authenticity while leveraging the demand for limited-edition sneakers. When brands launch a sneaker at a retail price, high demand and limited supply often drive up their resale prices. A sneaker originally priced at INR 10,000 might resell for INR 12,000, INR 15,000, or even INR 1,00,000, depending on its rarity and market demand.

These platforms act as intermediaries, facilitating transactions between individual buyers, resellers, and businesses. Much like the secondhand car market, sneakers are traded across different categories of sellers and buyers.

The resale ecosystem thrives on the exclusivity of limited drops, collaborations, and sought-after sneaker releases. To maintain trust, reseller platforms implement strict authentication processes, ensuring that only genuine sneakers reach buyers.

Then there are marketplaces like CDC, which operates through two models. The reseller not only sources its inventory through its network but also buys directly from customers and resells them to other buyers.

“Many resellers operate on a smaller scale and want to grow, but they struggle to sell directly to consumers (D2C) due to the limitations of their setup. We buy their surplus to resell at our outlets,” Kapil said. CDC has three physical stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The startup’s sales split is now 50-50 between online and offline.

Meanwhile, Find Your Kicks operates like Flipkart or Amazon but only for sneakers. It provides a platform where vendors (resellers) can sign up, list their sneakers, and manage inventory, including adjusting prices and sizes in real time. The platform follows a commission-based revenue model.

Hustle Culture, too, generates revenue through a reselling model. The company claims to have experienced 5X sales growth over the past eight months (July to March) and now sells around 500 sneakers per month. Additionally, it sells a portion of its stock to larger resellers.

Cracks In The Sneaker Market

However, it is not all rainbows and sunshine for sneaker marketplaces. Amid the growing popularity of sneakers, they are now widely available.

Major brands like Nike and Adidas have moved away from the scarcity model, making their products more accessible.

Nike, in particular, has introduced new terms of service, allowing them to cancel orders placed by bots, signalling an effort to curb reselling.

As a result, major global resale platforms like StockX and GOAT have started diversifying into other categories. But, this shift may not completely shield them from the broader market contraction.

Consequently, Indian sneaker resellers are being forced to expand their offerings beyond sneakers. Platforms like CDC, Find Your Kicks, Culture Circle, and Mainstreet Marketplace now sell apparel and other fashion accessories, which indicates the changing market dynamics.

Moreover, there are reselling platforms that have been in the limelight (not for good reasons) for selling counterfeit products.

Homegrown D2C Sneaker Brands Become All The Rage?

With global sneaker reselling marketplaces struggling and some even shutting down due to declining demand, increased availability of limited-edition sneakers, and brand crackdowns, many Indian sneaker platforms worry about a similar fate.

Seeing an opportunity, new sneaker brands are emerging, aiming to meet the growing demand while reshaping the market. Homegrown brands such as Yoho are producing affordable sneakers for Indian consumers. It has also expanded its women’s footwear range with the launch of Quoi. Rare’Z, a shoewear brand from The House of Rare, also recently launched its first sneaker-only store in Ludhiana.

“Building a sneaker brand from scratch is far more challenging than reselling existing products, but Indian brands are now investing significant time and resources into this process. Over the next three to five years, we will see this trend gain momentum,” Comet’s Gupta said.

Another major learning for Indian brands has been that global brands often view India as a secondary market — one where they can sell without much adaptation. Their approach lacks personalisation and localisation, which is something new-age Indian sneaker brands like Comet now understand and aim to address.

According to Gupta, Indian sneaker brands are creating products specifically tailored to local needs. Giving an example, he said until now international brands were trying to fit one size to all, completely ignoring the fact that Indian feet are wider than Europeans’ or Americans’.

“Our wider foot size is linked to India’s hot climate, where open footwear is more common. In contrast, Europeans and Americans have developed narrower feet over generations due to closed shoes,” he added.

Betting Big on India’s Sneaker Future

Interestingly, this kind of maturity has grabbed the attention of investors, with many now interested in backing homegrown sneaker brands.

“We have seen how D2C brands have disrupted various sectors with original, homegrown products. Fashion D2C brands are gaining significant momentum, making this the perfect time for investments in the footwear space,” a partner at a VC firm said, requesting anonymity.

However, the investor, who identifies as a sneakerhead, does not see reselling culture surviving for too long. For one, margins in this line of work are too low. Then, there is an issue of counterfeit products plaguing the supply chain. Not to mention, such instances dampen consumer interest.

Consequently, some once-promising reseller startups are now struggling to grow and, in turn, attract investments. To regain investor interest, resellers will need to refine their strategies and work on re-establishing credibility.

Nevertheless, the sneaker culture is here to stay. The Indian sneaker market is still blooming compared to the US and Europe on the back of an emerging class of aspirational buyers. Betting on this, experts predict at least 25% annual growth, which could give birth to more reselling platforms and homegrown sneaker brands.

[Edited By Shishir Parasher]

The post appeared first on .