Sachin Tendulkar has teamed up with fashion retailer Arvind Fashion Brands to launch a premium men’s apparel brand, giving a fresh impetus to his innings in business. The first ‘True Blue’ outlet will come up in the Master Blaster’s home city, Mumbai, in May.
“The thought of crafting something highly iconic, that every Indian can talk to, has been on my mind for a long time,” Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013 said. “When Arvind Fashion Brands shared this vision with me, there was a real synergy in our thoughts. True Blue is a very subtle in that manner, with its own way of making loud statement. It is my taste, what I like to wear.”
Tendulkar and Arvind Fashion Brands have formed a joint venture to launch the new brand. They didn’t disclose the shareholding pattern. Apart from taking an equity stake, Tendulkar has also spent a considerable time in helping the True Blue team design the new collections.
“Our expertise, matched with Sachin’s unmatched love for anything Indian, boosted our decision and that brought into play this significant JV partnership,” Arvind Fashion Brands and Arvind Sports Lifestyle CEO Rajiv Mehta said. With the growing men’s wear category, the Arvind group is eyeing revenue of Rs. 200 to 300 crore from True Blue in the next five years. “We will be launching in Mumbai and then Bengaluru.”
“We plan to open 25 to 30 stores in the near future,” Mehta said. The brand is targeted mainly at men aged 28 to 40 years. It will initially launch casual and formal wear in the price range of Rs 1,200 to 3,500 and premium evening wear costing up to Rs 8,000.
True Blue will venture into accessories, too. Puneet Jain, chief operating officer at Arvind Fashion Brands, said: “After establishing clothing line, we will look at other categories like small leather accessories for men, including belts and wallets.”
