In less than a year since its debut, ARKS – the lifestyle label co-founded by actor Ranbir Kapoor and helmed by Abhinav Verma (Co-Founder & CEO) – has emerged as one of India’s most promising new-age fashion ventures.
Launched on February 14, 2025, the brand captures the actor’s minimalist aesthetic and timeless sophistication. With a philosophy anchored in ‘quiet confidence,’ the brand is carving a niche in the premium lifestyle segment.
ARKS blends functionality with elevated design, offering a refined range of apparel, sneakers, accessories, and fragrances for both men and women. With its flagship store in Mumbai, a growing D2C presence via arks.club, and recent retail expansion to DLF Avenue, Saket in Delhi, ARKS is steadily building an omnichannel footprint.
In an exclusive conversation with IMAGES Business of Fashion, Abhinav Verma, Co-Founder & CEO of ARKS, shares insights into the brand’s vision, growth journey, and the philosophy of quiet confidence that defines its identity.
The Genesis of ARKS
ARKS began as a dream that Kapoor had long envisioned—a brand that could capture his minimalist yet refined sensibility. The idea took tangible shape about two years ago, culminating in the brand’s official launch on February 14 this year.
In a market saturated with loud logos and fast-changing trends, ARKS aims to stand apart by offering elevated essentials, aka, wardrobe staples designed for comfort, quality, and subtle style.
“We were clear about one thing – we wanted to build a lifestyle label that’s rooted in the idea of ‘quiet confidence.’ Quiet confidence is when someone feels confident, has an aesthetic that is subtle, and somebody who is passionate about what they do rather than projection. It’s about believing that great clothing needs to be comfortable, of good quality, and need not speak too loudly,” explains Abhinav Verma.
From well-tailored T-shirts and denims to sneakers and fragrances, ARKS curates versatile pieces for modern lifestyles. The brand targets men and women aged 25–35.
Aesthetic Meets Accessibility
Currently offering around 70–75 SKUs, ARKS plans to expand its portfolio with each season while keeping collections fresh and relevant. While apparel remains the core driver, sneakers have emerged as a runaway success, selling out within days of launch. The category’s strong response underscores the growing appetite for homegrown, design-led labels in India’s premium casualwear segment.
The brand’s first fragrance, ARKS Day, has also resonated well with customers, prompting the upcoming launch of ARKS Night. “We’ve seen encouraging response across all categories,” Verma shares. “Apparel and sneakers lead, but fragrances are showing great promise as we build ARKS into a lifestyle brand.”
The Ranbir Effect: Influence Beyond Stardom
While Ranbir Kapoor’s name lends star power, his role extends far beyond endorsement. He is involved in everything from brand design to marketing strategy, collaborating closely with a 15-member team.
“Ranbir’s aesthetic sensibility, his love for minimal, high-quality pieces, shapes our products,” says Verma. Yet, he notes that the larger vision is for ARKS to evolve into a brand that stands on its own. “Ranbir is inseparable from the brand’s origin, but we want people to love ARKS even if they aren’t Bollywood fans. The goal is for ARKS to have its own place in people’s wardrobes and hearts.”
Balancing Premium and Value in a Price-Sensitive Market
India’s fashion market is driven by value-conscious consumers. Within that, ARKS has positioned itself smartly, with prices ranging from Rs 1,499 to Rs 35,000 across categories. The brand’s average order value sits around Rs 3,000 – Rs 4,000, allowing customers to walk away with one or two pieces per transaction.
“Our pricing is comparable to other premium lifestyle brands,” Verma explains. “The idea is to offer great design and quality while ensuring customers feel they’re getting value for their money.”
Omnichannel by Design
ARKS launched as an omnichannel-first brand. Alongside its flagship Mumbai store, the brand operates through its own e-commerce website, a shop-in-shop presence at Broadway in Hyderabad, and even a Quick Commerce partnership with Swiggy Instamart for its perfumes.
The brand’s newest milestone is its Delhi debut, its first mall location at DLF Avenue, Saket. “Delhi is a new and exciting market for us,” Verma says. “Being in a mall allows customers to touch, feel, and experience the brand. Essentials like ours rely heavily on tactile engagement.”
Over the next few years, ARKS plans to open 3–5 owned stores, expand through more shop-in-shop formats, and explore strategic marketplace partnerships. Cities like Pune, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Bengaluru are next on the radar.
Dreaming Global
International expansion is also on the horizon for ARKS. The brand is preparing to enable international shipping next year, with long-term ambitions to enter markets like Dubai, London, and New York. “We want to make ARKS a global brand,” Verma says.
Growth Momentum and Early Market Insights
ARKS currently clocks over Rs 1 crore in monthly revenue and is targeting an ARR of Rs 35–36 crore by next year. The first year has been about laying the foundation – building brand awareness, testing categories, and refining customer experience.
As a brand that’s only a few months old, Verma shares some of his key insights from the early journey. “I think people today are extremely spoiled for choice. There are abundant options available in the market, so you have to be very competitive. You have to offer a great customer experience—that’s something we’ve focused on and are constantly improving, whether it’s online, offline, or through after-sales service. These things happen behind the scenes but go a long way in building a credible brand,” he notes on his learnings from the retail front.
On the market side, his major takeaway has been the growing adoption of quick commerce. “India has now started to adopt Quick Commerce very well—we saw amazing success when we dropped our perfume on Swiggy Instamart. This channel can unlock a lot of potential for us. Of course, it’s still early days, and we’re learning as the channel evolves. Currently, Quick Commerce is largely driven by impulse or immediate needs like groceries and daily essentials, but consumer behaviour is shifting. Even categories like fashion and lifestyle are starting to perform well here.
“We’ll continue exploring Quick Commerce as a channel, not for the entire brand, but for select products that naturally fit the format. It’s been a great learning curve, and we plan to build on these insights in the coming quarters and years,” Verma adds.
Building Beyond Product: The ARKS Community
Verma notes that community engagement is at the heart of ARKS’ brand-building strategy. “We are focusing on building the ARKS community. We are doing cool things as a brand and bringing people together physically for activities.”
Over the last year, the brand has organised experiential events like a singles mixer over pickleball, where single men and women came together to experience the brand, play pickleball, get to know each other. The brand received feedback, at the same time, made good sales. Another such activity at All You Can Festival in Mumbai did really well. “We want to park ourselves where the customer is, and at places where a lot of cultural stuff happens.” Verma says.
The brand’s collaborative mindset also extends to unique partnerships. The brand recently partnered with Lays for the ARKS x Lays sneaker collection inspired by the iconic chip brand’s flavours.
“The collaboration sparked conversations because it was unexpected. It helped us reach new audiences while keeping things fun and culturally relevant,” Verma shares, while adding that more exciting collaborations are underway.
A Lifestyle, Not Just a Label
In a landscape where celebrity-led brands often rely on name recognition, ARKS is charting a different course, anchored in authenticity, collaboration, and community. As the brand continues to grow across India and beyond, it is steadily turning ‘quiet confidence’ from a philosophy into a way of life. “We want ARKS to be a brand that lives beyond the celebrity, to be loved for what it represents,” Verma concludes.
