Here’s Why Budweiser Has Dropped Its First Street Wear Line

Brands are entering the street fashion space. Find out why.

Budweiser’s street wear collection

Image: Budweiser India

Some trends often take a little longer than others to catch up in India. One such trend is sneakers and clothing, and the exuberant hype surrounding it. Comprising a diverse range of individuals who subscribe to this 'hype', identifying as "hypebeasts", we're slowly seeing them making their way back into the mainstream fashion scene, in India. Collaborations between brands are a major factor in pushing this culture worldwide. Whether it be two clothing brands, or two completely separate entities who have nothing to do with fashion - it's what moves things forward. And for one of the first few times in our country, we've witnessed this take place. Budweiser collaborated with 5 different entities to release the BudxStreet Collection.

1. VegNonVeg - a multibrand sneaker retailer
2. Hanif Kureshi - an artist
3. Huemn - a clothing brand
4. NorBlackNorWhite - a clothing brand
5. Boxout.fm - India's first online radio channel

BUDXSTREET collection

BUDXSTREET event in Delhi

BUDXSTREET collection

The drop has been carefully curated and is inclusive of timeless street style pieces such as t-shirts, hoodies and lounge suits, although the question is, why does a beer brand need to enter the streetwear market?

Here’s what Kartikeya Sharma, Vice President Marketing- South Asia had to say

What is the purpose for an alcohol brand to shift to clothing?

We are core believers of exploring opportunities that fuel unity, are culture first and bolster individuality. On similar lines, street wear, through its distinct designs and eccentricities, reflects unique identities, personalities and subcultures: encouraging people to play by their own beat at all times. This very notion ties back seamlessly with our overall brand philosophy of ‘Be A King’, making it a pertinent and extremely exciting move for the brand. With the launch of BUDXSTREET, we aim to connect with the growing street culture community of India, providing them with newer avenues to show – off their underlying personalities.

How is this line of streetwear going to help the brand?

Bud X street is an endeavor to shape the fast growing space of street wear and street culture. We see this being a great fit to the values of the brand & the people who are driving the emergence of this new fashion trend. We have & will continue to invest whenever an opportunity presents itself to engage in a more meaningful & differentiated manner with our consumers & Street fashion at this point seems like the perfect avenue to invest in

Is it a branding expense or a marketing investment?

We are elated by the launch of our first collaboration & have received great feedback from the community & consumers alike. Our approach in all future launches will be to drive a degree of self-sustenance & maintain a balance between investing to grow our presence with the right level of revenues being generated.

“We are thrilled to launch BUDXSTREET in India, which is our platform to engage the rising street culture community in India. The synergies in the ideals and beliefs of the brand and that of the collaborators have enabled the curation of a collection that is not only exclusive but also inspirational and distinct. We are also very glad to see the enthusiastic response from the collaborators and community to this platform, and have a strong ambition for this in the future.”

Commenting on the launch, Kartikeya Sharma, Vice President Marketing – South Asia,

BUD X STREET launch at one style mile in Delhi(Photo courtesy: The Quint)

They announced the collaboration and hosted a launch event on 19 January at One Style Mile in Delhi, and the event was nothing short of magnificent. Performances by the famous Gully Boy rapper ‘Divine’ and famous Australian musician and worldwide street performer Dub FX was one of the highlights of the event.

Divine performs at the launch of BUDXSTREET(Photo courtesy: Budweiser India)