Wildcraft unveils new brand identity and head-to-toe product strategy

Wildcraft, India’s fastest growing outdoor brand, has unveiled its plans to be synonymous with the Indian outdoor industry alongside a new brand identity. Revealed at a launch event in Bangalore, the brand’s revitalized presence includes a newly designed logo and theme alongside extensive additions to its product portfolio. Wildcraft’s leadership believes that this fresh approach combined with the aggressive expansion of the brand over the past few years could exponentially grow the company’s share of the US$2 billion Indian outdoor market.

Founded in a garage, Wildcraft has experienced exponential growth over the past decade. One of the country’s first brands to offer performance-driven outdoor gear, Wildcraft is now seeking to define the Indian outdoor segment through a series of bold moves.

Speaking about the developments at the company, Dinesh K.S, the founder who started it all in 1998, said, “Wildcraft is a brand born out of a love for the outdoors. Right from the beginning, whether it was ergonomically designed backpacks or carefully crafted tents, the brand has been focused on quality, innovation and most importantly, performance. This continues even today.”

The company’s HypaDura collection with lifetime warranty, for instance, uses the industry’s lightest and most reliable and durable materials such as RobicTM, Hypalon® and Litecell foam.“The last few years have been incredibly rewarding”, he added, “as there are few greater joys than building your passion and watching it grow. When we started, the garage was our manufacturing unit, head office and retail outlet. And now we’re looking to be counted among the best in the business, globally. I’m confident that our best years are ahead of us, and outdoor-lovers are at the heart of this confidence.” Exponential growth over the past few years has seen a company that started as a hobby in a garage to a brand that now employs over 2500 people.

Elaborating on Wildcraft’s strategy, Gaurav Dublish, one of the three co-founders of the company said, “We are not short on ambition. Today, from rucksacks to jackets and tents to shoes, Wildcraft products are available in over 120 exclusive and over 2,500 multi-branded stores across 400+ key Indian cities. Our diversified distribution strategy includes exclusive stores, modern trade chains, distribution to traditional multi-brand outlets, institutional partnerships as well as e-commerce portals.”

He acknowledges the importance of R&D which is reflected in the company’s ethos of building products that are functional, feature-rich, lightweight, compact, weather-resilient and reliable. “With an in-house team of designers and product developers

buoyed by a global supply chain, Wildcraft uses benchmarked materials in line with the best standards worldwide to ensure our products meet the highest standards,” he added. Addressing the audience, Siddharth Sood, who met Gaurav at college and the co-founder who completes the Wildcraft trio, said, “Our plan is to push the boundaries of product design in order to give our users gear they love and trust. Coupled with the expansion of our manufacturing capabilities this will reinforce Wildcraft’s status as a one-stop-shop for outdoor lovers across the country.”

Over the years, Wildcraft has been able to build for itself an exceptionally strong customer advocacy base. Together with its globally benchmarked head-to-toe product line and a revamped brand identity Wildcraft is well equipped for its future endeavors.

Speaking about the company’s marketing initiatives, Simeran Bhasin, Chief Marketing Officer at Wildcraft, said “Our new logo is a reflection of the liberation the outdoors can bring from the monotony and rigmarole of everyday urban life. The brand’s new identity reflects the essence of our company and forms the basis of every consumer touchpoint from our retail stores to our website and TVCs. Our marketing communication strategy is in line with our efforts to inspire, educate, inform and equip people to experience the outdoors and, consequently, recognize Wildcraft as a performance-driven, head-to-toe outfitter. We will do this through immersive experiences across traditional, digital and social media.”