Walk into any college campus in India today and you will notice one thing almost immediately: sneakers everywhere. Not just the basic white canvas kind, but limited-edition drops, rare colourways, and homegrown designs that tell a story. For India’s Gen Z, sneakers are not simply footwear. They are a statement, a hobby, and increasingly, an investment.
The numbers back this up. According to IMARC Group, the Indian sneaker market was valued at USD 3.88 billion in FY2024 and is projected to reach USD 6 billion by FY2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.45 percent. That is not a niche trend. That is a booming economy and young Indians are driving it.
More than just shoes
Ask any Indian sneakerhead why they love sneakers, and the answer rarely stops at comfort or style. There is an emotional layer to it. Many speak about saving up for their first pair, hunting for a rare colourway online, or the thrill of finding a great deal at a swap meet. Sneakers have quietly become a way for young Indians to express who they are their tastes, their tribe, and their cultural references.
Social media has played a huge role in this shift. Instagram reels of unboxing sessions, styling videos pairing sneakers with everything from sarees to streetwear, and sneaker review channels on YouTube have made sneaker culture highly visible and accessible. What was once a passion reserved for a small community in metro cities has now spread to Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns, thanks largely to e-commerce platforms that bring global brands to every doorstep.
ISF: India gets its own sneaker festival
Perhaps the clearest sign of sneaker culture’s arrival in India is the Indian Sneaker Festival, or ISF. What began in 2021 as a modest rooftop gathering of just 200 sneakerheads and creators in Delhi has grown into the country’s largest sneaker and street culture festival. Founded by Sarthak S, Ankit Gupta, and Nikunj Duggal, ISF has held multiple editions across New Delhi and Gurugram, with each iteration bigger and louder than the last.
In December 2025, ISF made its landmark debut in Mumbai its seventh edition held at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex. The festival drew an anticipated footfall of over 60,000 across two days, featuring international headliners including Tyla, Lil Yachty, Charlotte de Witte, and Alok. But beyond the music, it was the sneaker stalls, streetwear pop-ups, gaming zones, and art showcases that made it a full cultural experience.
Co-founder Nikunj Duggal describes ISF as more than a festival. “The Indian Sneaker Festival emerged from a vision to unify India’s sneaker and streetwear community,” he has said. “This festival represents the biggest cultural weekend for Gen Z and young millennials in India.” With a Delhi edition following shortly after the Mumbai one, ISF has made it clear that it intends to build a national footprint.
Homegrown brands step into the spotlight
For years, the Indian sneaker market was dominated almost entirely by global giants Nike, Adidas, and Puma. That is changing. A new generation of Indian founders is building homegrown sneaker brands that speak directly to Indian sensibilities, aesthetics, and stories.
Gully Labs, co-founded in 2023 by Arjun Singh and Animesh Mishra, is one of the most talked-about names in this new wave. The brand designs sneakers rooted in Indian culture through Phulkari-inspired patterns and Onam-themed colourways. In 2025 alone, Gully Labs raised INR 8.7 crore in a seed round and later secured INR 30 crore in a Series A led by Saama Capital. By the end of 2025, the brand was clocking INR 2 crore in monthly sales.
Comet, launched in July 2023 by Utkarsh Gupta and Dishant Daryani, has quickly found its footing in the aspirational sweet spot of Rs 5,000–10,000 a price range where young Indian consumers want good design, brand identity, and storytelling without paying a premium import price. Then there is Thaely, a sustainability-focused brand that makes sneakers from upcycled materials, and Anaar, a luxury bridal sneaker label that made history as the first Indian footwear brand to show at New York Fashion Week in 2023.
Specialty retail platforms like VegNonVeg, SuperKicks, and Crepdog Crew have also been crucial in shaping metro sneaker culture, curating both global releases and homegrown drops for a growing community of buyers.
The resale economy: Sneakers as investment
One of the most interesting developments in India’s sneaker scene is the rise of the resale market. Globally, the sneaker resale market was valued at USD 1 billion in 2020 and was projected to reach USD 5 billion by 2025. India’s resale ecosystem, while still small, is growing fast and for many young Indians, flipping limited-edition pairs has become a legitimate side hustle.
Limited-edition drops routinely sell for multiples of their original retail price within hours. Pairs that retail at Rs 10,000 can command Rs 30,000 or more on the secondary market. With average resale prices often exceeding Rs 15,000 more than 20 times the cost of standard footwear sneakers have genuinely become a form of cultural currency.
According to Tracxn data, there are around 120 D2C sneaker startups globally, and 21 of them are based in India making the country the second-largest hub after the United States. That statistic says a lot about where things are headed.
Foot Locker opened its first India store in October 2024 at Select City Walk in Delhi. Comet launched a limited-edition drop of just 500 pairs in September 2024 and sold out almost instantly. These are not isolated moments; they are signs of a market maturing rapidly.
India’s sneaker culture is no longer borrowing its identity from the West. It is building its own one drop, one festival, and one homegrown brand at a time. For Gen Z, this is not just about what is on their feet. It is about who they are, where they come from, and where they are going.
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