In this Loudest.in exclusive, Nikunj Duggal reveals how ISF bridges India’s sneaker culture, uniting brands, creators, and fans while blending culture with commerce.
Nikunj Duggal, Co-Founder of the Indian Sneaker Festival, is at the forefront of India’s streetwear revolution, transforming a rooftop community meetup into the country’s biggest celebration of sneaker culture, music, and creative entrepreneurship.
In this exclusive interview with Loudest.in Nikunj Duggal shares how ISF bridges India’s sneaker culture gap, uniting brands, creators, and fans under one roof while balancing culture and commerce through partnerships and collaborations.
Here are edited excerpts:
How did the idea for the Indian Sneaker Festival originate, and what gap in the market were you aiming to fill within India’s growing sneaker and streetwear culture?
The Indian Sneaker Festival started as a small rooftop community meetup in 2021, born out of passion rather than strategy. We realized that while sneaker culture in India was exploding online, there wasn’t a physical ecosystem bringing together the community, brands, collectors, resellers, and artists, under one roof. India had sneakerheads but no platform that celebrated the culture holistically. Globally, events like ComplexCon or Sneaker Con have become cultural landmarks, merging fashion, art, and music. India was missing that intersection and that’s the gap ISF set out to fill. Our goal was to make sneakers and streetwear more than just a fashion choice, to make it a statement of creativity and identity.
What are the key revenue streams for the Indian Sneaker Festival, and how do you balance community-driven experiences with commercial goals?
Our business model is multi-dimensional. The primary revenue streams come from brand partnerships, exhibitor participation, sponsorships, and ticketing. But the soul of ISF lies in its community, so every commercial decision is layered with cultural value. For instance, we ensure that homegrown brands, emerging artists, and sneaker resellers always have space alongside global names. That’s not just inclusivity, it?s strategy. Because ISF?s long term brand equity depends on building authenticity first, scale second. We?re building ISF as an IP-led cultural business, one that grows value across verticals like media, content, and collaborations, not just through the event itself.
ISF Mumbai marks your biggest musical undertaking yet, featuring global headliners like Tyla, Lil Yachty, and Charlotte de Witte. From a business and brand building perspective, how does music amplify ISF?s value proposition within the sneaker and streetwear ecosystem?
Music and streetwear have always been intertwined , from hip-hop influencing sneaker culture to electronic music shaping festival aesthetics. For ISF, music isn?t an add-on; it?s a multiplier of emotion and engagement. When someone comes to ISF to see Tyla or Charlotte de Witte, they don’t just attend a concert , they step into a world where fashion, self-expression, and music coexist. It extends dwell time, expands our audience beyond sneaker enthusiasts, and drives stronger brand associations for our partners. From a business lens, music helps increase ticket value, drive footfall, and deepen digital storytelling. From a cultural lens, it helps ISF stay at the center of youth culture, where sneakers meet sound.
ISF blends music, fashion, and lifestyle into one experience. How do you curate the music lineup to reflect and influence youth culture in India, and what role do artist collaborations play in shaping ISF?s long-term cultural identity?
We curate ISF with a cultural logic, not just a commercial one. Every artist we bring on reflects a certain moment in global youth energy. Artists like Tyla or Lil Yachty represent crossover creativity, fashion, internet culture, and sonic experimentation, which perfectly aligns with ISF?s DNA. We look for artists who influence culture, not just dominate charts. Collaborations with them, whether through exclusive content, limited merch, or stage experiences, help build ISF?s identity as India’s creative playground, not just an event. Long-term, these collaborations help position ISF as a cultural export, the bridge between Indian streetwear talent and global creative networks.
Where do you see the Indian Sneaker Festival brand five years from now, evolving more as a live experience, digital platform, or lifestyle ecosystem?
ISF is set to evolve into a 360° lifestyle ecosystem, with live experiences serving as just the entry point. Over the next five years, it aims to move beyond being “an event” to becoming a cultural movement that shapes India’s next generation of creative entrepreneurs and cultural consumers.
The brand’s growth roadmap spans three key verticals, expanding its live IPs across major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, as well as internationally; building digital and media properties through content, documentaries, and collaborations that keep the culture alive year-round; and developing retail and collaboration initiatives, from limited-edition drops to incubating homegrown labels that define the future of Indian streetwear.