What’s WROGN with Virat Kohli’s Fashion Brand?
But a decade later, the story looks different. Despite massive awareness, WROGN is wobbling. Losses have widened (₹75 crore in FY25 vs. ₹57 crore in FY24), and the brand faces sharper competition from both homegrown challengers and global giants.
So what went wrong—and what could still go right?
Why WROGN Is Struggling
1. Celebrity over product
Kohli’s face gave the brand recognition, but the clothes themselves rarely stood apart. Competing brands like Snitch and Rare Rabbit carved out identities with sharper designs and subculture cues, while WROGN often felt like “generic fast fashion with a celebrity tag.”
2. Reliance on marketplaces
With heavy dependence on Myntra and other platforms, WROGN fell into the trap of endless discounts and high acquisition costs. Great for reach, bad for margins.
3. Price vs. cost mismatch
Youth fashion thrives on trend velocity at tight price points. Rising sourcing and marketing spends squeezed margins.
4. Blurred brand narrative
As Kohli diversified—Puma, One8, Agilitas—consumers were left confused: which one is the Virat fashion brand?
What Could Still Work
Here’s the silver lining: WROGN still has three big assets—Virat Kohli’s unmatched cultural reach, a decade of consumer awareness, and a new backer in Aditya Birla’s TMRW (which bought a 16% stake in USPL last year).
The turnaround playbook could look like this:
Think product-first, not celeb-first → Ownable design IP (signature trousers, athletic denims, “Kohli-core” athleisure).
Tighten pricing architecture → Clear tiers, fewer SKUs, kill discount dependency.
Balance channels → Marketplaces for reach, D2C for loyalty, retail for brand experience.
Culture-driven drops & collabs → Limited editions tied to cricket, street culture, indie designers.
Reframe Kohli’s role → From poster-boy to creative director with a signature design element fans can spot instantly.
The Road Ahead
Base case: Stabilise, simplify, and slowly edge back to profitability by FY27.
Upside: WROGN reinvents itself as the go-to “performance streetwear” label, with hype drops and higher full-price sales.
Downside: If celebrity glow fades and the narrative confusion continues, consolidation or absorption into ABG/TMRW’s larger portfolio is likely.
Final Word
WROGN’s story isn’t proof that celebrity brands “don’t work.” It’s a reminder that celebrity gets you noticed, but product keeps you alive. Unless WROGN evolves into a product-led, community-first fashion brand, its fate will rest less in Kohli’s hands and more in the consolidation boardrooms of Indian fashion giants.
👉 Your Turn: Do you think Virat Kohli can reinvent WROGN, or has its time passed? Tell us in the comments below.
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