Campus Sutra’s presence in the athleisure segment is largely an extension of its core positioning as a youth-focused, trend-driven casualwear brand rather than a dedicated performance player. The brand participates in the category through products aligning with the growing demand for comfort-led, everyday dressing. However, its approach remains firmly lifestyle-first, with a focus on accessible pricing and fast-moving trends rather than technical fabric innovation or performance engineering.
Anchored in a ‘young India’ narrative, Campus Sutra taps into the broader shift toward relaxed, versatile wardrobes, where the lines between casualwear and athleisure continue to blur. As a result, its athleisure offering resonates with consumers seeking style, comfort, and affordability, positioning the brand in the fashion-forward, value segment of the category rather than the premium or performance-driven space.
In a quick interaction with IMAGES Business of Fashion, Dhiraj Agarwal, CEO of Campus Sutra, shares insights on the brand’s evolution from a single label to a house of brands, its approach to identifying category white spaces, entry into athleisure, the role of technology, and its retail expansion roadmap.
From Single Brand to a House of Brands
DA: As the Indian consumer evolves, we’ve leveraged our deep understanding of the mass-premium segment— particularly the 18–35, metro-centric audience with rising purchasing power. While all our brands cater to this cohort, we’ve built strong backend synergies by centralising nearly 90% of operations. The remaining 10%—focused on brand identity and storytelling— remains distinct. This structure allows us to scale efficiently while staying sharply aligned with emerging consumer needs.
Strategic Entry into Athleisure & Activewear
DA: With consumers especially Gen Z becoming increasingly health-conscious, the growth potential of the sportswear category is evident. Given our strong fashion background and deep manufacturing expertise, we saw this as a natural extension and a well-aligned opportunity to enter and build within the segment.
On Retail Presence and Expansion Roadmap
DA: Currently, we are present across large format stores (LFS), with a footprint in around 500 stores across leading retail chains in India. At this stage, we do not operate exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and do not plan to enter that format over the next year. Our immediate focus is on scaling our app, which already ranks among the top 100 apps in India. The goal is to strengthen its performance further and consistently move it into the top 50.
Tech-Enabled Manufacturing: Driving Efficiency & Innovation
DA: In manufacturing, especially in India, rigid theories often fall short given legacy systems that haven’t evolved significantly over decades. Our belief is simple; scale is only possible through technology. As we grow, we rely heavily on tech to drive efficiency, consistency, and agility. It’s this tech-first approach that underpins our manufacturing philosophy and enables us to build for scale with precision.
