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Kohli's One8 relaunches under Agilitas with Rs 40 crore bet to beat India's celebrity-brand curse
Our read
One8 posts early volume gains on Kohli hype, but Agilitas's mounting losses force a capital raise before the brand proves it can beat the curse
For operators
One8's relaunch hinges on execution through Mochiko manufacturing and Lotto licensing, so operators must prioritize supply-chain reliability and channel discipline to avoid the fate of past celebrity brands.
Watch
One8 first-quarter sell-through and repeat-purchase data
The report,
Virat Kohli relaunches lifestyle-sportswear brand One8 via Agilitas Sports with Rs 40 crore backing and ex-Puma exec Abhishek Ganguly, betting on Mochiko manufacturing and Lotto India licensing to overcome India's pattern of failing celebrity-backed consumer brands.
Reported figures
From the report. Source details below
- Rs 232.34 crore FY25 income
- Rs 265.65 crore prior income
Other figures
- 17 prototypes
- 9% revenue drop
- Rs 223 crore revenue
- 32% net loss increase
Why it matters for the brand
The ex-Puma leadership, Mochiko manufacturing, and Lotto India licensing signal a platform-building strategy where partnership and portfolio consolidation could be more valuable than the One8 brand alone.
What to track next
- Agilitas FY26 H1 revenue/loss trend — narrowing vs widening
- Additional celebrity or PE capital injection into Agilitas
- Competitor discounting from Puma, Adidas, Campus in the mid-premium band
- Any Kohli disengagement or reduced brand-activation cadence
Likely next moves
Our read of what comes next — analysis, not reported by the source.
- Watch Agilitas fundraise or debt raise to fund the Rs 40 crore bet amid rising losses
- Expect heavy Kohli-led marketing push around a relaunch event or IPL/cricket calendar
- Look for expanded Lotto product SKUs and Mochiko-made footwear to hit e-commerce channels
- Monitor omnichannel retail partnerships (Myntra, Ajio, exclusive stores)
The counter-case
The case against this reading — not reported by the source.
A Rs 40 crore bet is trivial in Indian sportswear where Puma, Adidas, Nike and Decathlon deploy hundreds of crores annually on retail, sponsorship and supply chain. Worse, the anchor entity Agilitas is bleeding cash: a Rs 75.5 crore net loss in FY25 (up 32%) on falling revenue (down 9% to Rs 223 crore) signals a business that cannot fund its own operations, let alone subsidize a celebrity relaunch through a promotional runway. Celebrity consumer brands in India (HRX, various actor-fronted lines) have repeatedly stalled because star power drives trial, not repeat purchase; the category is won on distribution, product quality and price, none of which a Rs 40 crore infusion decisively buys. The Lotto licensing and Mochiko manufacturing story is a euphemism for 'we don't own a differentiated brand or IP' — it's a licensed-plus-celebrity stack, structurally fragile.
The source
First seen