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Emerging. Curious. Exciting.
Along with the global streetwear culture, the sneaker culture in India too is finally finding its footing. Facets of this movement can be seen continuously mushrooming across the country: in form of events, platforms, hypebeasts and a general fandom. A watershed moment for Indian sneakerheads was definitely the launch of VegNonVeg, India’s first multi-brand sneaker store. So, there’s no surprise that the same team is seen pushing the narrative forward, this time around with a spectacular collaboration with sports fashion brand FILA. Presenting: The Masala Box Mindblower!
An ode to India’s love for spices, the limited-edition Masala Box Mindblower sneaker is inspired by every Indian mother’s masala box. The chunky retro silhouette of FILA’s Mindblower impeccably blends the Indian story with a colorway comprising of fiery chilli red and pungent turmeric yellow. The fine-haired suede and the textured leather is accompanied by the steely silver on the lacing panel with the sole gently sprinkled with pepper-black. Loud and vivacious, this is no entry level sneaker and is a tribute to the OG fanbase of the VNV brand. The shoe was launched in Delhi on April 18th, along with VNV’s new Safdarjung Enclave store.
This collaboration had germinated when VNV was still fairly new and the brand had just started to blossom. So definitely the product and its story had to be handled with utmost care, as founder Anand Ahuja says, “We are a fairly young brand and this is our first shoe. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a loyal fanbase who have been with VNV from the beginning. We didn’t want to release 1000 pairs and just have them sit there. So, we went with a conservative number of 100. We didn’t really want to be loud and aggressive, but playful and fun.” Talking about the shoe, he further adds, “Masala box is probably the one thing that every Indian has in their home. Our languages are different, our food is different. But we all have a masala box.”
This is definitely a pivotal moment for India’s creative industry. With fashion being such an elemental form of self-expression, its always inspiring to see Indian narratives being woven into the global culture. Be it Pharrell’s Holi Hu with Adidas or this FILA-VNV collab, one hopes for a well-represented inclusive community to flourish. But Rs. 10,000 for a sneaker? That’s still a huge no-no for the average Indian consumer. To which Anand responds, “For us, its about the right curation and telling the right story. We don’t expect to reach everyone, but our goal is definitely to communicate this culture and help educate the market. With collaborations like these, we hope that our vision seeps into these bigger brands and bridges the gaps of accessibility.” Thus, one can expect for the envelope to pushed even further.
With that being said, if you think you can rock these kicks, head over to the VegNonVeg store and add some spice to your swagger!
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