Why Katrina Kaif Has Brand Appeal

Her label, Kay Beauty, is soaring. But most celebrity brands sink without a trace

- Sowmya Ramasubramanian

In 2017, amid much fanfare, Anushka Sharma launched ‘Nush’, a clothing line for young women touted as a mix of comfort and style. At the event unveiling the line, the Bollywood actress claimed she had put in long hours to get things just right—so much so that her mother had to remind her to eat. “I have personally taken an interest in the styles of Nush, so there’s a bit of myself in all the outfits,” she told Vogue magazine, suggesting she was closely involved in the designing process.

Within days of the launch, however, ‘Nush’ was accused of plagiarism and copyright violation. It was alleged that the brand had lifted some designs from various Chinese online retailers. Soon, Sharma’s business partner Pawan Agarwal issued a statement acknowledging that there were “discrepancies in some designs” and that they would be discontinued. He also made it clear that Sharma was never part of the designing process. It was not an auspicious start. And things didn’t get much better thereafter. The controversy aside, Nush has not been able to make a mark in the market.

In 2014, three years before Nush came into existence, Virat Kohli, who is now married to Sharma, had launched Wrogn, a casualwear brand for youth. The label played with a straight bat and Kohli didn’t end up with egg on his face. But after posting some solid scores, raking ₹361 crore in FY23, Wrogn’s parent company Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd—backed by a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd—saw its revenue plunge nearly 27% to ₹264 crore in FY24. A decade on, its bottom line languishes in the red, with losses widening from ₹44.2 crore in FY23 to ₹56.7 crore in FY24.