In the past couple of decades, Indian athletes have showcased immense potential in competing and winning major tournaments, and a lot of credit goes to two things, namely the state-of-the-art sports gear and the sportsperson’s mindset. The achievements on the world stage have translated into a renowned interest in sports as a career, with sporting bodies across the country on a talent hunt in tier-II and tier-III towns and cities.

However, the athletes from these parts of the country find the performance driven footwear unaffordable, and would sometimes resort to competing barefoot, hindering their performance. Recognizing this gap during their training with athletes from various parts of the country, a sibling duo founded Off Limits, where they design and manufacture affordable and quality footwear and sporting apparel.

Off Limits is an athleisure brand with a focus on quality and innovation in terms of product design and technology. “We create footwear and apparel that has the latest technologies to boost performance, and also we help people express themselves through the latest designs and trends”, says Reba Singh, Co-Founder, Off Limits.“Our products are manufactured in-house and designed for Indian weather conditions and lifestyles”, Reba adds. The brand aims to provide sports gear and apparel with all the technology, comfort, and support to the athletes at an affordable price point.

Helping Athletes Express Themselves

Upskilling is not only about technology or performance, it is about how an individual expresses themselves. The founders understand this and have developed proprietary technologies while incorporating the latest designs and trends in their offerings. The brand has its app called Athlite for light weight soles, Flexiknit for flexibility, and Advanced Memory Tech for enhanced cushioning embedded into their shoes, while apparel is enriched with performance-driven features like WickTech quick dry technology.

In order to ensure timely delivery of its products, the brand focuses on speed of operations and attention to detail. The team can design, manufacture, and start selling any new offering within a week. Post sales, attention is given to what the customers are saying, the products that are gaining traction, the sales trends, and how the brand can expand its range of offerings. Once a product starts selling, Off Limits ensures that it keeps selling. The extent of this approach is apparent in sales made through its website alone, which gives up to 10x returns to the brand.

The brand aims to provide sports gear and apparel with all the technology, comfort, and support to the athletes at an affordable price point

Scaling Athleisure with Innovation

By initially focusing on a single hero product, refining its market fit, and gradually expanding the range, Off Limits has successfully built a robust and diverse portfolio comprising over 700 footwear styles and 400 apparel designs. One of the brand’s most successful campaigns is 50 Shades of Stussy, where a single high performing shoe design, Stussy, was expanded into 50 unique colorways and material variations.

The brand’s evolution into an athleisure powerhouse is a testament to its ability to blend performance with fashion. While initially rooted in sports training, it has embraced the growing consumer demand for stylish yet functional footwear. In addition, the brand leverages the industry knowledge of veterans with 20-30 years of experience while fostering fresh creativity by hiring graduates from premier institutions such as NIFT and FDDI. Today, with a workforce of approximately 500 employees, including 45 managerial professionals, Off Limits produces over a million pairs of shoes annually. Its commitment to innovation, speed, and affordability continues to drive its growth, shaping the brand into one of the formidable forces in the global athleisure market.