Evenflow Brands signs Reebok licence to take the brand beyond shoes and apparel in India

Reebok is about to show up in a lot more places than your shoe rack.

Evenflow Brands, a consumer brand builder that describes itself as an infrastructure startup for consumer brands, on Monday announced a licensing agreement with Authentic Brands Group, the global owner of Reebok, to manufacture, market and distribute Reebok products in India across adventure gear, sports accessories, support and recovery products, and inflatables.

For a brand that Indian consumers know mostly through sneakers and gym wear, it is a notable expansion. The deal takes Reebok's India footprint beyond footwear and apparel, which are sold in the country under a separate long-term licence that Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) signed with Authentic in December 2021. Neither company has spelt out how the two licences will be demarcated.

Why this deal matters

The categories Evenflow is picking up sit around the workout rather than in it: resistance bands, supports and braces, massage and recovery tools, camping and trekking gear, inflatables for pools and water sports. These are fast-growing segments in India, where participation in sports, fitness and outdoor activities continues to rise, according to the companies.

Global sports brands have been slow to chase these categories in India directly, and licensing is the standard workaround. Authentic Brands Group, whose portfolio of more than 50 brands includes Champion, Nautica and Brooks Brothers, operates almost entirely through a network of over 1,700 licensees across 150 countries. Reebok itself is present in 80 countries with roughly 400 standalone stores worldwide.

For Authentic, Evenflow is a local operator built to move product through e-commerce and quick commerce channels. For Evenflow, Reebok is a globally recognised name that can anchor its portfolio.

"India is an important growth market for Reebok, and this partnership with Evenflow creates new opportunities to bring the brand into more categories and more moments in consumers' lives," said Steve Robaire, EVP, Reebok at Authentic.

Evenflow's playbook

Founded in 2021 by Utsav Agarwal and Pulkit Chhabra, Evenflow started out acquiring and scaling third-party brands selling on marketplaces such as Amazon, and has since positioned itself as a brand-building platform spanning e-commerce, quick commerce and omnichannel retail. The Reebok deal fits its stated strategy of pairing global brand equity with local supply chain and distribution execution.

"Reebok has always represented performance, resilience, and an active lifestyle. Through this partnership, we're excited to extend that legacy into categories that are becoming increasingly relevant for Indian consumers," said Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Evenflow Brands. "From training and recovery to outdoor adventures, our vision is to build a comprehensive ecosystem of high-quality products that combines Reebok's global heritage with Evenflow's deep understanding of the Indian market."

Robaire said Evenflow brings local market expertise and a clear understanding of how Indian consumers are engaging with sport, fitness and outdoor activities, and that Authentic views the partnership as a long-term brand-building play.

What to watch

The companies said the first range under the agreement is expected to launch across leading e-commerce platforms and retail channels in the coming months. They did not disclose the financial terms or duration of the licence, which product categories will launch first, or how the new licence sits alongside ABFRL's footwear and apparel rights.

The bigger question is whether a licensed operator can build a credible accessories and outdoor business under a heritage sports brand in a market where sports retailers such as Decathlon and a wave of homegrown D2C fitness and recovery brands are already established. Reebok's name gives Evenflow a head start on trust. Pricing, distribution depth and product quality will decide whether that head start holds.

If it works, the deal could become a template for how legacy global sports brands enter India's growing market for everything around the workout: not by opening stores, but by finding a local partner to do it for them.