India’s Premier Sneaker And Streetwear Aggregator Crepdog Crew Raises Seed Round Funding
India’s largest streetwear aggregator, Crepdog Crew (CDC) has raised an undisclosed amount in seed round funding from marquee investors and industry veterans including Rahul Kayan (Director, SMIFS Ltd); Harminder Sahni, founder Wazir Advisors and one of the earliest angel investors in India; fashion designers Masaba Gupta and Nikhil Mehra, Pharmeasy’s Dharmil Seth, Siddharth Shah and Yogesh Shukla, and Ankit Solanki, partner Capillary Ventures.
At the forefront of the hype culture in India, CDC envisions using this fresh capital scale its e-commerce business and community-based retail footprint.
Since 2019, CDC has gone from strength to strength, expanding from an Instagram page to a website to a 6,000 square feet flagship store, CDC Experience in New Delhi - that houses the biggest sneaker wall in India, the widest collection of Indian streetwear designers, a basketball court, a craft coffee café, Brisk and even a burger shop.
Plans for 2023 include opening CDC’s second experiential retail store within the next three months in Mumbai.
The sneaker sector in India has been one of the fastest growing sectors in India – India’s sneaker market share is currently growing at 12-15 per cent, and expected to catch up to the global sneaker market that stands at $6 billion – a fact that has not gone unnoticed by investors. But what makes CDC’s success story even more exciting is their focus on curating and nurturing homegrown streetwear fashion talent. CDC currently retails more than 40 streetwear brands on its website and 20 brands – exclusively – at its flagship store.
“I am one of the lakhs of happy CDC customers and have been following their rise for a couple of years wherein they’ve shown solid execution rigour. To watch the explosion of sneakers and streetwear is exciting, and I won’t be surprised if it becomes one of the fastest growing markets within fashion for the next decade,” says Dharmil Seth, co-founder PharmEasy, of his decision to invest in the Delhi-based venture.
The brand has already witnessed 350 per cent year on year growth since its inception in 2019, and aims to further spread its reach by opening more stores across the country. Today, www.crepdogcrew.com logs more than 6 lakh visitors every month, and the platform delivers over 500 pairs of sneakers per week to customers spread all across India every week – establishing itself as a profitable multi-crore business and India’s one-stop shop for everything sneaker and streetwear related.
“This move of being a part of a young entrepreneur’s vision is so exciting. After a long time I found something that is different from the herd and has a massive potential to make impact in the sneaker and streetwear business. I applaud the vision,” says Nikhil Mehra, designer and one half couture label, Shantnu & Nikhil.”
Partner Capillary Ventures Ankit Solanki invested in CDC because he believes “CDC is well poised – both with their retail and digital presence – to attract Indian teens interested in hype wear and luxury apparel spenders who are getting younger.”
The search for a pair of the coveted Yeezys is what led to the creation of Crepdog Crew, and today is the country’s most trusted sneaker and streetwear aggregator with a turnover of Rs 25 crore. Friends and co-founders Anchit Kapil, Bharat Mehrotra and Shaurya Kumar saw a gap in the market and today have a platform that can be counted on for product authenticity and accessibility for all.
“Our commitment to providing enthusiasts authentic products and the best Indian streetwear designs with the best shopping experience is what drives us and has seen us become a one-stop shop for the community,” says Anchit Kapil, co-founder and CEO Crepdog Crew, adding, “This investment is an exciting next step for the brand. It gives us the impetus to continue our mission which is to reimagine the convergence of community and sneaker and streetwear culture and lifestyle.”
About CrepDog Crew
Founded by three friends Anchit Kapil, Bharat Mehrotra and Shaurya Kumar in 2019 as an Instagram page, CrepDog Crew has since grown into a profitable multi-crore business, establishing itself as India’s biggest one-stop shop for sneaker and streetwear lifestyle. Its online retail presence at www.crepdogcrew.com services 6,00,000 monthly visitors while CDC Experience, its flagship physical store in Delhi, has changed the way Indian consumers experience the world of sneaker and streetwear.
