Celebrity Sells

Although India has been obsessed with stars for a while, celebrity-led brands are only now creating a new category.

- Pankti Mehta Kadakia

IN LATE NOVEMBER, ACTOR HRITHIK Roshan posted an emotional video on social media. “Wow, I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for five years already,” he said, dressed in a stylish hoodie, casual gym tee and a sporty black cap. “We sat right here, with the team, and it seemed like we were building castles in the air. But it’s happened. It’s flying now. It’s manifested… But you guys don’t know what I’m talking about.”

It’s been five years since the launch of HRX—Roshan’s fitness brand that comprises apparel, accessories, a fitness tracker, workout regime and healthy meal plans. And he’s right. It is flying.

Back in November 2013, though, it was the first of its kind—a celebrity owned brand that was looking to create a full-fledged business, inspired by but separated from the celebrity’s own persona, and, on a punt, sold entirely online. Today, HRX estimates a 300-crore turnover for the current financial year, up from 140 crore last year, a growth of 114 percent.

In the West, stars such as Jessica Alba, Victoria Beckham, Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and the Kardashians have all minted money by launching brands of their own. While India has had a long-standing culture of celebrity endorsements, this trend is only just catching on. Fuelled by ecommerce and social media, in the past few years, the celebrity brand roster has grown to include Deepika Padukone (All About You), Anushka Sharma (Nush), Virat Kohli (Wrogn), Tiger Shroff (Prowl), Sonam K Ahuja and Rhea Kapoor (Rheson), Sachin Tendulkar (True Blue) and most recently, Saif Ali Khan (House of Pataudi).