For the love of shoes: How a 22-year old got celebrities like Parineeti Chopra and Raftaar to buy sneakers from him

Bulls and bears are not just limited to the stock market anymore. Globally, enthusiasts are investing not only in stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies but also in sneakers. If you know the ins and outs of the sneaker market, these tangible assets make great investments.  

Kuntal Mukherjee (name changed), an analyst with a leading ecommerce company and sneaker enthusiast, says, “Brands like Adidas, Supreme, and more have been collaborating with top-shot international celebrities to come out with limited-edition sneakers that are getting sold at insane mark-ups — to the tune of 20-30X — in a span of three to four years, an increase that's unfathomable in our basic financial stock exchange.”

Last year, the sneaker market was valued at $79 billion, Statista reported. It is expected to reach $119.5 billion by 2026. The largest players in the market include Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Reebok.

Recently, B-town celebrities have also shown an inclination towards the exclusive and rare-sneaker trend. And supplying unique sneakers to celebrities including actor Parineeti Chopra, rappers Divine and Raftaar, and singers RitViz and Ananya Birla, is 22-year old Viraj Datt. 

Through his Chandigarh-based brand VJ Kicks, Viraj sources sneakers from across the globe and resells them in India. 

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Stepping stone

Born and raised in Panchkula, Haryana, Viraj has been a badminton player since he was 13-years-old. He even played at state and national levels. For his training, the Punjab-University graduate moved to Bengaluru in 2015.

“I visited a sneaker store in a nearby mall and wished to buy a pair. But, the starting price was Rs 7,000 and I knew my parents could not afford that,” Viraj says. Intrigued by the neat design and sharp look of it, he says, “I started watching YouTube videos on sneakers and rare shoes in India.” 

A year later, in May 2016, Viraj started an Instagram page VJ Kicks to post content around sneakers and his own personal collection. Occasionally, he also helped his friends source limited edition sneakers. In 2017, he travelled to Thailand for a course on badminton training. 

“Thailand was ahead of India when it came to the sneaker market. I got more exposure on the sneaker culture,” he adds. 

Unfortunately, Viraj couldn’t continue his course in Thailand and returned home in two months. “A career in badminton did not seem stable and I decided to focus on the business of sourcing and reselling of sneakers full-time,” he adds.

 The idea was simple — Viraj would source rare sneakers from across the globe and resell them in India. He borrowed around Rs 30,000 from his father to start the business. “Reselling sneakers and making money from them helped me buy more sneakers,” he explains. 

Taking up the entrepreneurial route at the age of 19, Viraj says his father helped him understand the nuances of entrepreneurship. 

Passion to business

Viraj’s first purchase for the business was a limited edition of Air Jordan 1. “I asked the salesperson if I could take a picture of it and share it in my friends’ circle,” he recalls. 

His first customer was a friend. Viraj bought the pair of Air Jordan 1 High Camo Bred for Rs 14,000 and sold it for  Rs 16,000. 

“After making a good profit from selling the first few sneakers, I saved money and bought an Air Jordan 1 for myself as well,” he says.  

Viraj leveraged the power of social media and promoted his brand on Instagram and YouTube. “Fortunately, some of my friends were social media influencers and they helped me promote the brand as well,” he says. This is how VJ Kicks gained traction and got orders from celebrities. 

Today, Viraj sources sneakers from the US and Japan as well. While there is no pre-decided profit margin, “Limited edition sneakers are priced higher than the ones easily available,” he says. 

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Star-studded clientele 

So far, Viraj has shared over 500 pairs of sneakers, recording a 100 percent year-on-year growth in revenues, between 2017 and 2019. 

“2020 was a slow year in terms of sale due to the pandemic. However, I managed to sell 100 pairs of sneakers last year,” he adds. 

While Raftaar has a huge collection of sneakers, his favourite is the Air Jordan 1, and owns most pairs from that collection. Actor Parineeti Chopra on the other hand, “Is obsessed with designer sneakers and likes to wear Yeezy sneakers,” Viraj says. 

And, singer Ananya Birla loves off-white and designer-hyped sneakers. 

Going ahead, Viraj plans to build a website for his brand, and make the whole sneaker buying and selling process easier for his customers. “I think there should be more content on the internet and social media platforms about the sneaker industry,” he adds.