Nike Strengthens India Presence With Local Partnership After Years of Restructuring

Nike revives its India strategy through its first collaboration with a local fashion brand. The US sports giant has launched a collaboration with NorBlack brand NorWhite, in what not only represents its first creative partnership with an Indian brand, but also a strategic move to strengthen its presence in the market.

Inspired by the traditional bandhani technique , the collaboration marks Nike’s return to a country where it has faced a complex trajectory. After multiple restructurings, store closures and business partner changes, the company is now looking to connect more directly with the local consumer and new generations.

The launch comes in a context of accelerated growth of the Indian fashion and retail market and has become a strategic priority for large international operators. Nike, which landed in the country through licensing and operated with multiple partners, went on to close 35% of its stores in 2016 after a drop in sales and accumulated losses.

Nike seeks to reconnect with India through a creative alliance with NorBlack NorWhite.

The collaboration with NorBlack NorWhite, a New Delhi-based brand founded in 2009 that has gained recognition for reinterpreting age-old textile techniques in a contemporary key, seeks to engage a new generation of female consumers who combine culture, design and active lifestyles. Both founders, Mriga Kapadiya and Amrit, grew up in Toronto but moved to Mumbai to reconnect with their roots and explore textile and traditional arts.

Launched on June 11, the capsule is available in selected stores and on its own website. The new collection of the women’s line includes tops and sports bras, shorts, leggings, a hoodie, T-shirts, a cross-body bag, as well as four footwear models designed for everyday wear. Bandhani print, characterized by meticulous patterns elaborated through knots and dyes, is the technique used for the design of the products.

In addition, the campaign stars local sportswomen such as wrestler Anshu Malik, sprinter Priya Mohan and cricketers Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma. With this move, Nike aims to reposition itself in India not only as a global benchmark, but also as a company capable of adapting and dialoguing with the cultures in which it operates.