During the pandemic, only a handful remains who haven’t laced up to match a pair of WFH sweatpants and T-shirt. The sneakers market is not just hot, it’s worthy of investment. There is a sneaker resell market that has been going strong globally. If sneakerheads abroad are making their picks on sites like StockX, one name that’s going strong in India is CrepDog Crew, which is a sneaker reselling platform and streetwear marketplace. The idea for CrepDog Crew evolved from being an Instagram page in 2019 to a full-fledged marketplace. If you have enough knowhow about the blue-chips in this fashion category, like Air Max and Jordans, then you will know its resell value.
“The idea behind CrepDog Crew was to fill a void in the market, a platform where people like us could get a variety of sneakers with assurances of trust, authenticity and great service,” says co-founder Anchit Kapil, who joined forces with his friend Shaurya Kumar to set up the venture.
Like many fashion items, there are limited-edition sneaker releases that get sold out in seconds and sneakerheads are willing to pay several times the original price for a coveted pair. This is where CDC comes in. “We don’t buy every drop or chase all kinds of designs. What we’re looking for are fashion-forward products and in colours that we know are in vogue,” says Shaurya about the CDC inventory.
What started with selling two-three pairs a week soon gained traction. Today, the platform delivers nearly 350-400 pairs of sneakers to customers spread across 200 cities in India, besides establishing itself as India’s premier marketplace for streetwear as CDC Street.
In 2019, if the reseller market was catering to 2,000 people, today that number has ballooned to more than 200,000, with more than 1,000 resellers in India alone.
Anchit predicts that the company will have a 5x growth by financial year 2022-2023. Here’s more from CrepDog Crew co-founder, Anchit Kapil.
Crep Dog Crew co-founders Shaurya Kumar (left) and Anchit Kapil Sourced by the correspondent
Idea behind the start-up…
If I am being honest, there isn’t anyone like CrepDog Crew in the market. We are a one-stop shop for anything sneakers and streetwear and we offer genuine and authentic products all within a delivery experience that is unparalleled. From the day that we have launched, we have received such an amazing response and so much love from the sneaker community. And that tells us that we are doing something right. When we started CrepDog Crew, we would sell two or three pairs a week. Today the platform delivers nearly 350-400 pairs of sneakers to customers spread across 200 cities in India.
Pandemic and the growth of the sneakers community…
The athleisure trend has been getting more and more mainstream in the past couple of years and the pandemic further accelerated that process. Now even the high-end fashion houses have an athleisure line. The sportswear industry is clearly a winner in 2021 as consumers continue to spend money on loungewear or active wear. As far as the sneaker community is concerned, what the pandemic did was increase interest in sneakers as a commodity, as an item of value so we saw a lot of new resellers, people trading in sneakers. I think these two factors have had a combined effect on the sneaker community in India and around the world.
A true sneakerhead…
True, sneakerheads know that each shoe has a story and it’s the story that you fall in love with just as much as the shoe itself. Sneakers are what you make of them, how you lace them, how you rock them. If you’re buying a pair on Instagram, make sure that it’s a reliable reseller and the product is authentic.
Sneakers make for a good investment…
Sneakers are investable fashion and the sneaker market is very bullish. Sneaker valuations go up to 500 per cent within four-five years. There has never been a better time to be a sneakerhead. The global sneaker resale market is pegged at $10 billion.
Story of the brand…
It all started because of a pair of Yeezys! In 2019, my friend and co-founder Shaurya Kumar and I wanted to get Yeezys and we were interacting with unorganised Instagram resellers and we felt like that there was a gap in the market that we could tap. The idea behind CrepDog Crew was to fill a void in the market, a platform where people like us could get a variety of sneakers with assurances of trust, authenticity and great service. We started as an Instagram page and today we are India’s premier sneaker and homegrown streetwear marketplace.
Sneakers and the tech world…
CrepDog Crew shares a great relationship with techies and
e-sport players as Gen Z is totally invested into sneaker culture. In fact, more than just techies and metro cities, we have seen an uptick in sales in tier-II and tier-III cities.
Jordan 1 Retro High Dior
Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scott
Demands of young India…
We curate our collection, so there is really no point talking about brands because each piece has its own story. CDC Street, which is our platform for homegrown streetwear labels, is doing very well with brands like Natty Garb and Blue Orange that are crowd favourites.
Future plans…
We are so excited by the potential we see in India in this space and our plans for 2022 match that. The largest youth population and the shift from high-fashion to casual/streetwear are two factors that make this category very exciting to watch.
Also, keep an eye on…
The Mainstreet Marketplace: Vedant Lamba’s brainchild is a popular multi-brand sneaker and streetwear store, which is also popular among celebrities.
Find Your Kicks India: Find Your Kicks India is the founder of the company, which has a strong following on Instagram. It is a great place for collectors and promising resellers.