Yash Gangwal’s fondness for a group of street skaters, as he watched them in action, made him enter the world of skateboarding during his early years of growing up in Hong Kong. At a tender age of 12 years, the skaters became his mentors, who taught him to ride and perform tricks using a skateboard.
Skateboarding, in turn, led him to the world of breakdancing and hip hop. However, when Gangwal went on trips to India later, he noticed that there was a stark difference between Hong Kong and India, when it came to street culture—people in India were aware of it but lacked promoters or brands to support the community.
That seemed to be an ‘aha’ moment for Gangwal when he decided to make his future enterprise a hip hop and skateboarding brand. “India was in dire need of such a brand. The passion, energy and creativity that this underground street and brand culture could bring to the country was immense,” says Gangwal, who founded Urban Monkey India a decade ago. Inspired by the underground street culture, the company sells headwear, eyewear, backpacks, clothing, watches, wallets and fashion accessories.
Gangwal is not the only one venturing into the niche business. More than music, hip hop has become a cultural phenomenon, as it holds a special place in the heart of the community. It represents the street culture and has become an inspiration for entrepreneurs whose businesses have been powered by this genre. Popular fashion styles like baggy jeans, sneakers, gold chains and caps that hip hop and street performers wear have become a business opportunity for a slew of companies such as Urban Monkey, SoleSearch and Zillionaire, among many others.
With hip hop officially completing 50 years on August 11, let us take a look at how the cultural movement is rising from the streets to become a fashion statement and inspire businesses.
A cultural movement
As music and culture, hip hop became the voice of the marginalised and a multicultural exchange among the African Americans living in the South Bronx section of New York City in the late 1970s. However, over the years, the cultural movement gained momentum and, slowly, hip hop attained widespread popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. It was widely used as a term representing rap music, deejaying, turntabling, MCing, rhyming, graffiti painting, b-boying, hip hop dance, style and attitude.
India soon followed suit. Baba Sehgal became the first Indian musician to use Hindi rap back in the 1990s and, today, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Badshah, Raftaar and Brodha V are some of the many names to reckon with. More recently, Amazon miniTV’s dance reality show, Hip Hop India, judged by choreographer and director Remo D’Souza and Canadian actress-dancer Nora Fatehi, is opening the doors for underground street talent and jaw-dropping performances in India.
Significantly, hip hop has made such an impact in India that it has become the first non-Bollywood genre to be embraced by the masses. Today, the advent of music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple and YouTube has democratised the music distribution of hip hop, allowing artistes to release their music independently and effectively.
Gangwal agrees that the shift and advent have played a crucial role in the growing popularity of hip hop in India, aided by the success of movies like Gully Boy in 2019.
“In the West, hip hop has been central to streetwear, with influential rappers such as Kanye West and Travis Scott not only launching their own merchandise but also setting trends for the entire industry. A similar phenomenon is occurring in India, with hip hop’s influence extending beyond music and permeating the streetwear scene,” says Gangwal, who has doubled the sales of his business in the past five years.
Hip hop holds immense importance for the Indian audience, agrees Prabal Baghla, co-founder of SoleSearch, a street-culture brand selling sneakers. As avid sneaker heads, Baghla and his co-founder Param Minhas, who is also the CEO of the company, saw an opportunity in this segment, and wanted to create a reliable sneaker marketplace for everyone. Launched in 2021, the company aims to streamline the unorganised street and youth culture industry in India with a community platform for trading sneakers and evolve into an ecosystem for sneaker and street-culture enthusiasts.
“Our love for sneakers and the street culture led us to establish the brand and provide a top-notch experience for enthusiasts and collectors in India and around the world. We wanted to bridge the gap between sneaker enthusiasts and the limited-edition releases they desired, while also creating a community where people could connect, share their stories and explore the world of street culture,” says Baghla.
While hip hop has become a transformative cultural movement in India, particularly among the youth, it has provided a powerful means of cultural expression for Indian artistes, giving them a platform to voice their opinion, express emotions through music, dance and visual art forms. It has become a vehicle for social commentary and activism in India.
For Jaipur-based Aditya Fatehpuriya and Raghav Goyal, who founded their D2C jewellery brand for Gen-Z called Zillionaire in 2020 during the pandemic, hip hop fashion, with its urban flair and bold accessories, has captivated buyers with individual and exquisite pieces.
Zillionaire was born out of a rebellious 16-year-old’s desire to revolutionise the jewellery industry. “The genre’s lyrical depth and storytelling connect with societal issues, giving a voice to the marginalised. As a dance form, hip hop creates a vibrant subculture that celebrates fusion and self-expression,” says Fatehpuriya, who was tired of traditional and mundane jewellery designs when he decided to create the company inspired by urban culture and arts.
“In a society where jewellery is often seen as feminine and conservative, we aim to challenge that mindset. Our pieces merge contemporary fashion with elements of urban art, capturing the essence of modernity,” says the 19-year-old entrepreneur, who uses silver or cubic zirconia in his jewellery collection.
The founders appeared in Season 2 of Shark Tank India this year and took home Rs 1 crore from one of the judges, Anupam Mittal, the founder of Shaadi.com, for their company. The collection features chains, rings, bracelets and earrings, meticulously crafted in sterling silver with a dazzling 14k gold plating, besides creating custom pieces. Zillionaire is popular among rappers such as Raftaar, besides filmmaker Karan Johar and actors Malaika Arora and Ranveer Singh, who swear by the label.
Their bestsellers, according to Fatehpuriya, have been the iconic tennis chain, the captivating flash pendant, the daring spike earrings, the empowering Cuban ring, and the sophisticated raised Cuban bracelet.
Hip hop holds immense importance for Indian buyers, transcending music to become a cultural phenomenon, and resonating deeply as a voice of authenticity and empowerment. “With its urban flair and bold accessories, hip hop fashion has captivated Indian buyers, allowing them to showcase their individuality. Indian dance forms have embraced hip hop, creating a vibrant subculture that celebrates fusion and self-expression,” says Fatehpuriya.
Fashion that sells
Urban Monkey’s bestsellers are caps for rappers, skaters, BMXers, dancers, freestyle football players and many more. “Caps are on the verge of becoming the next big trend, much like sneakers,” says the 33-year-old Gangwal, who is expecting to close around Rs 45 crore by the end of this fiscal year, with projections exceeding Rs 100 crore in the following year.
SoleSearch raised Rs 6 crore in its recent pre-seed funding round from investors such as Venture Catalyst, Anthill Ventures and Cornerstone Sports LLP, among others. “Our strategic partner, co-founder Rannvijay Singha, who is deeply rooted in the sneaker/ street culture and entertainment industry, has been instrumental in the journey. His insights have played a key role in our growth, ensuring that we stay connected to the pulse of young India,” adds Baghla, who has recently added a mobile app, besides physical stores in Mumbai and Hyderabad to his company.
SoleSearch offers a wide range of products that cater to the street culture community with a focus on sought-after sneakers such as Dunks, Jordans and Yeezys. The company has united street-culture platforms and resellers from all corners of the country, fostering a vibrant community of enthusiasts who share their love for sneakers, streetwear, art and hip hop.
Collaborations between sneaker brands and influential figures in music, sports, fashion and art also tend to bring together unique design elements and storytelling, capturing the attention and interest of sneaker enthusiasts who are always looking for something unique and special. Shoes like Nike Air Jordan 1 Low Reverse Black Toe and Taxi and the Nike Dunk Low Panda are the most sold products on Baghla’s platform.
“We curate and source limited-edition releases, collaborations and iconic sneaker models from top brands such as Nike, Adidas, Jordan Brand and more. These sneakers are known for their unique designs, premium materials and cultural significance, making them highly desirable among collectors and enthusiasts. In addition to sneakers, we offer streetwear apparel, accessories and collectibles that complement the sneaker culture,” adds Baghla.
The collection includes clothing items such as hoodies, T-shirts, jackets and hats from popular streetwear brands, limited-edition collectibles, including figurines and art prints that resonate with street-culture aesthetics.
Many other companies have also forayed into this segment to represent street culture in their collections. Lenskart Studio has created an eyewear collection on hip hop inspired by the vibrant street culture replete with boxy silhouettes, b-boying, graffiti art, groove and funk. The collection features hybrid double-rim glasses with metal accents and a double nose bridge for a retro, boxy style.
UK-based men’s fashion brand BoohooMAN has partnered with Myntra to launch over 600 styles of streetwear clothing such as graphic T-shirts, hoodies, track pants and cargo joggers.
Free Society, a multi-brand streetwear and sneakers boutique, launched its first flagship retail store in Mumbai in 2021, and now plans to open a multi-level experiential sneakers and streetwear outlet in Delhi soon. With loyal followers including celebrities such as Diljit Dosanjh and Shilpa Shetty, besides stylists and sneaker enthusiasts, the company had a revenue of Rs 18 crore in FY 21-22 and plans to grow 3x to achieve ~Rs 54 crore by the next financial year.
Meanwhile, the global streetwear market size was valued at $187,583 million in 2022 and is expected to reach $230,877 million by 2028.
