Wrogn, the Virat Kohli owned and endorsed brand has been making waves with the youth and the young at heart for a few years now. The brand is available across various e-commerce platforms as well as over 750+ retail stores across India. Wrogn is a brand owned by Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd. (USPL), a Bangalore headquartered company.
The company, which also owns other notable brands such as Imara, Single and Ms Taken was founded in 2012 by Anjana Reddy, the scion of the Deccan Chronicle media conglomerate which is based in Hyderabad. Deccan Chronicle also owned the IPL Cricket team by the name Deccan Chargers. USPL initially started with selling cricket and sports memorabilia, including original trophies and authorised merchandise. Over the next few years, the company ventured in to the fashion apparel business and has built the Wrogn brand brick by brick.
USPL counts ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Flipkart among its key investors. In 2018, the company raised Rs. 100 Cr (USD 13.5 Mn) in a post money valuation of Rs. 1,200 Cr from various investors. Later in 2020, the company raised Rs. 19.3 Cr (USD 2.6 Mn) from Indian Cricket team captain Virat Kohli and others. In 2021, the company raised a debt funding of Rs. 30 Cr (USD 4 Mn) from Vistara ITCL, an independent corporate trustee fund.
News has been rife that the prized youth wear brand Wrogn may be acquired in a sweet deal by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL). The Birla Group company, which is the mainstay retail entity for the global powerhouse, runs the Pantaloons Department store, owns marquee brands such as Louis Phillipe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and has master franchise for several international brands in India.
Wrogn could be a right decision for ABFRL which has been on an acquisition spree over the last three years, especially after the pandemic began. The inclusion of a youth brand such as Wrogn could add a multi dimensional portfolio to Aditya Birla Retail in reaching newer and younger audiences. Wrogn competes for wardrobe share with several streetwear brands such as Roadster by Myntra, Salman Khan’s pet project Being Human, among several regional brands.
After creating several complimentary product categories such as perfumes, beard trimmers and co-branded ear pods with boAt, the brand is currently getting ready to launch an exclusive collection of helmets, riding jackets and travel gear, focussed on bikers and avid travellers.
