The god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar is planning to foray into international markets — the UK and USA through his clothing brand ‘True Blue’ soon, according to an Economic Times report.
True Blue was launched his menswear and accessories brand in association with the Arvind Fashions Brand in 2016.
The master blaster told the Economic Times that he is personally involved in the design process and gives his inputs to the creative team from time to time.
“Whenever I travel, I am not surprised to see made in India tag in clothes. So why not an Indian brand in those markets?” Sachin told ET.
True Blue is sold through 75 outlets across the country which includes eight standalone stores. True Blue had launched its first physical store in Mumbai in May 2016.
“We need to be recognized as a global brand and not just for a cricket playing nation. In the second innings of my life, there is no 75-yard boundary line that we need to set. We have a bigger playfield in terms of markets and merchandise,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
True Blue also has plans to venture into women’s wear section, although, no timeline has been set.
The apparel range has been designed keeping in mind Tendulkar’s persona. With True Blue, Arvind Fashion Brands aims to make the menswear category “unboring and more content fashion-driven”.
Talking about the joint venture with Arvind he had said, “When someone like Arvind Fashion Brands approaches you, they have a history, they are mega as far as this business is concerned. 85 years of experience is no joke. I understood what they wanted to create and this is all about being Indian and touching the hearts of Indians and beyond that, a product created by Indians.”
During the launch, the Arvind group said that it expected the label to make Rs 200-300 crore in the next five years.
Founded in 1931, Arvind now runs stores of nearly two dozen brands, including Gap, US Polo, Arrow, Sephora and Children’s Place as a licensee or JVs.
According to an India Business of Fashion 2018 report, India’s fashion retail market is worth USD 56 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% to reach USD103 billion by 2027.
