MUMBAI: Virat Kohli is not only the number 1 cricket sportsperson in the world but also a dynamic youth icon whose personality allures millions of youngsters across the world. He is known for his determination, rigour, and the undying zest towards achieving success. Embodying the same facets of his personality, the cricketer, in association with Artimas Fashions, recently launched the innerwear collection of his brand one8-conceptualised by Cornerstone.

A subsidiary of Lux Industries Ltd, Artimas Fashions Pvt Ltd is the official licensee for cricketer Kohli’s one8 innerwear collection and is working diligently to place this newest offering from the one8 basket as the preferred choice of the millennial population.

Its positioning as a functional brand offering ‘comfort to the restless’ is going to be the hook holding the interest of the target consumer group who will feel a huge connection with the messaging, Artimas Fashions Pvt Ltd MD Nishchal Puri tells Indiantelevision.com.

Speaking about the brand, he says, “one8 has been conceptualised by Virat (Kohli) and his team. When we were approached for the innerwear collection, we realised, with our experience in the industry, that there is a huge gap in the market. While it is a Rs 15,000 crore market, the premium segment is just Rs 5,200 crore. So, when we were conceptualising and deliberating (on marketing strategies), we found a phenomenal opportunity because with Virat onboard, the brand has great scope to develop connectivity with the right target consumer group.”

He says that the brand is working towards rekindling and rejuvenating the innerwear market. “We have developed a great range and it is targeted at mid to premium price points. We are not a super premium brand because we want the comfort to reach as many consumers as possible.”

The brand has currently been launched on e-commerce platforms and Puri is expecting that they will be able to take it to offline retail stores by the first quarter of the next year. He reveals that his team along with Virat’s team from Cornerstone is planning a lot of activities for the online as well as the offline activation of the brand. They have started with the launch of a high-quality video, featuring Virat Kohli, on digital platforms.

“We initially, intend to use it (the brand video) on digital and then take it to cinemas before launching it on television in the next couple of quarters. The idea is when we launch on television, we should be recognised by as many people as possible. So, we are trying to use a mix of all these three media to reach the maximum of the target consumer base,” he shares.

Shedding light on the marketing budgets that they are working with, Puri reveals that they have started with 8 per cent of the budget initially and will be cumulatively spending 12-15 per cent in terms of marketing engagement. “We have a substantial amount of investment that goes in in-store publicity. Also, we are marketing across multiple platforms. So, including all of this, the ATL-BTL spends combined, we will be spending some 12-15 per cent on the innerwear range.”

He added that they will be taking the brand to the Middle Eastern market as well and are planning some consumer integration activities with Kohli for the same.

With this new product range, Artimas Fashions wants one8, which is in the third year of its inception, to touch the Rs 100 crore revenue mark.