Tag: Utkarsh Gupta

  • Artist Santanu Hazarika’s sneaker collaboration sells out rapidly

    Artist Santanu Hazarika’s sneaker collaboration sells out rapidly

    Mumbai: In an unprecedented phenomenon, renowned artist Santanu Hazarika and homegrown lifestyle brand Comet’s latest collaboration – a capsule collection of 300 pairs of sneakers – rapidly sold out within only two hours of its drop, marking the very time a homegrown sneaker collaboration has sold out in record time!

    Comet, a trailblazing force in the sneaker industry, is renowned for its bold designs and innovative approach to footwear. With a commitment to pushing boundaries and embracing creativity, Comet has carved a distinct identity in the world of streetwear. Their collaboration with renowned artist and sneakerhead Santanu Hazarika signifies a fusion of rebellious expression and artistic vision. Through this partnership, Comet continues to redefine the sneaker landscape, offering consumers a unique blend of style, substance, and self-expression.

    A name synonymous with the sneaker culture in India, Santanu had recently joined hands with Comet for the sneaker line. The collaboration was not just cool kicks but embodied the dynamic convergence of underground art, pop culture, and the sneaker revolution married with rebellion and expression. Taking inspiration from punk, heavy metal and anti-establishment sentiments, where the shoes featured vivid colours and design elements like thorns, a shooting star with an eye, and collar tabs that spelt out ‘Silent’ and ‘Scream’ to symbolise voices that have always echoed in silence. The line perfectly reflected Santanu’s sketchbook style and a disciplined expression that harmonised the silence of rebellion with a loud, unapologetic scream, striking a chord with the audience.

    The sneaker line went live last Thursday on the brand’s website and was off the shelves in a record time of two hours, thereby underscoring the audience’s anticipation for the collection.

    Talking about the success of this drop, Santanu shared, “As an artist, having my sneaker line was on my bucket list, so this is like my childhood dream come true! During the designing process, I had complete creative liberty. But naturally, there was some nervousness about this first-time collaboration. So, a complete sellout in only a few hours was definitely surprising! This has made me truly believe in the power of community.”

    “We are thrilled and humbled by the overwhelming response to our collaboration with Santanu Hazarika. The lightning-fast sellout of our limited edition drop in just two hours is a testament to the acceptance we as a brand have received from the vibrant community we are building with Comet. We are honoured to see the enthusiasm and passion our customer base has created for self-expression and creativity. This achievement only strengthens our commitment to nurturing a community where authenticity thrives and consumers are encouraged to embody our brand ethos of “Never Shy, Never Sorry’,” remarked Comet founder Utkarsh Gupta.

    BigBang.Social chief executive officer Anurag Iyer, added, “BigBang Social is proud to be the force to facilitate this association between Santanu and Comet, an ultimate combination of an extraordinary artist and a sought-after homegrown brand. Through the creator economy, we’re unleashing a tidal wave of creativity and innovation that knows no bounds. In this new-age digital economy where creators play an integral part in shaping culture, inspiring change, and building communities, we believe in empowering them to own their language and monetising their passions that foster a richer, more diverse cultural landscape.

    Santanu intends to foray into the gaming industry and tech merchandise with his designs. The artist plans to launch esports jerseys, gaming gear, and all sorts of electronic gadgets.

  • Comet collabs with Santanu Hazarika for limited edition sneaker

    Comet collabs with Santanu Hazarika for limited edition sneaker

    Mumbai: In the dynamic intersection of pop culture, art, and the sneaker revolution, Comet and Santanu Hazarika converge to unleash the ultimate collaboration: a symphony of rebellion, expression, and unbridled artistry. As a brand, Comet is inspired by its namesake – an unstoppable, focused and hard-to-ignore object that breaks the conformity and monotony of the solar system. The brand’s latest drop is in collaboration with the renowned artist and sneaker culture pioneer Santanu Hazarika, who is synonymous with the evolution of sneaker art in India. He lends his creative prowess to Comet with this limited-edition release that stands as a testament to the marriage of underground art and pop culture and symbolizes a fusion of voices that have always resonated in silence.

    The collaboration unfolds as a visual manifesto, featuring design elements inspired by heavy metal, vivid colours reflecting Santanu’s sketchbook style, and a disciplined expression that harmonizes the silence of rebellion with a loud, unapologetic scream. Santanu shared his vision behind the inspiration – “This art form is a scream which is well disciplined with silence. It’s omnipresent and in each one of us, motivating us to create, explore and experiment, to destroy, create, recreate, and voice out our thoughts and expressions.” He shared, “I grew up as a rebel and soon learnt to channel my voice through art, a silent form of the inner scream I had since childhood. I combined my silence and scream in these sneakers for Comet.” This product is not just cool kicks, it’s a canvas where art and rebellion converge. The product takes its design inspiration from punk, heavy metal, and anti-establishment sentiments, where the shoes feature thorns, a shooting star with an eye, and collar tabs that spell out ‘Silent’ and ‘Scream’

    Comet’s founder Utkarsh Gupta shared, “We’re really excited about Comet’s first collaboration and that too with an artist like Santanu. His story and his art form are the epitome of our brand’s ethos, ‘Never Shy, Never Sorry.’ This one is really the coming together of two distinct design visions that blend so seamlessly.”

    Available exclusively through Comet’s official website, the sneaker is not merely a purchase but a direct connection with the essence of Comet and Shantanu Hazarika’s art. As the collaboration unfolds, Santanu’s continued involvement will ensure that the journey doesn’t conclude with the sale but resonates in the hearts of those who wear this wearable piece of rebellious expression. Further, Santanu isn’t just a collaborator on the project. His belief in Comet’s growing mark in the Indian sneaker revolution will translate into him coming on board the brand as an investor.

    Step into a world where art, rebellion, and silent screams intertwine—a canvas of expression for those who dare to be bold, ‘Never Shy, Never Sorry’.

  • MTV explores ‘What Women Love’ through ‘Splitsvilla 8’

    MTV explores ‘What Women Love’ through ‘Splitsvilla 8’

    MUMBAI: With the motive to kill boredom, music and youth channel MTV is all set to kickoff the eighth season of Splitsvilla. Themed, ‘What Women Love’, the new season is set to cross extreme boundaries.

     

    MTV Splitsvilla season 8 has roped in Karbonn Smart as the title sponsor with Airtel and Schmitten luxury Chocolate as co-presented sponsors. Spraymintt, Glam-up, Bacardi Breezer and Manforce are the powered by sponsors.

     

    The many firsts’

     

    The makers have tweaked the format this season. The odds are tripped in favour of the girls as it is the boys who will be seen doing all the hard work to find a way into their lady love’s heart. To show what women truly value in a man, the creators are pitting eight celebrity boys against eight non-celebrity boys to woo 14 girls.

     

    “Last season, we explored with getting celebrity boys on the show and we got good eyeballs. So, this year we thought of getting more celebrity boys as part of the format,” explains MTV EVP and business head Aditya Swamy.

     

    The eight celebrity boys are, ex-winner of Splitsvilla 5 Paras Chabra, MTV Roadies X2 winner Prince Narula, MTV Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan fame Utkarsh Gupta, model and radio show host Ishaan Chibber, model Viren Singh Rathore and TV actors Amaad Mintoo, Zaan Khan and Yash Pandit.

     

    Secondly, the all new combination of actor Sunny Leone and VJ and actor Rannvijay Singh as hosts will give the show a whole new flavour as they mentor the girls and boys.

     

    Thirdly, to add on to the action, for the first time, the show that goes on-air from 4 July will kick off as a bi-weekly, airing on both Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm for the first two weeks, thereafter being showcased every Saturday at the same time.

     

    “When you launch only on a Saturday, people have to wait for one whole week for the second episode, but this season in 24 hours viewers will get to see the next episode,” says Swamy.

     

    Splitsvilla is in a more controlled environment

     

    The seventh season of the show reached the 100 million viewers mark and registered 60 per cent growth over the previous season.

     

    Making a reality show is not a piece of cake. Unlike Roadies, where the channel is working rigorously for 11 months, Swamy feels Splitsvilla is in a more controlled environment. “Roadies is a travel based show, Splitsvilla is shot on one location. The time it takes is less than what it takes to do Roadies which starts from one place and ends at another,” he opines.

     

    MTV content and programming head Shalini Sethi who finally sealed the theme ‘What Women Love’ informs that this wasn’t the only theme that came to the creator’s mind. “We did discuss a couple of other themes, but we locked on this one keeping in mind what is happening in today’s time where the country is talking about issues relating to women and women empowerment among others.”

     

    An extensive survey was also conducted amongst the target audience, especially women and girls to understand what they expect from men. “Everybody had a different perspective, yet meaningful,” asserts Sethi.

     

    This season, the creators have chosen Goa as the love destination. Except for the finale, the entire show was canned in 45 days. It took three-four months for the channel to execute the new season.

     

    Swamy reveals that the planning for the next season begins on the very day the last episode is shot.  “We treat our shows as brands. So when you are working on a series, you hope that it will last for weeks, but when you are building a brand, you are building it for a lifetime. The whole idea is to build Splitsvilla as a brand. And it is so difficult for a seven year franchise to let go off it,” states Swamy.

     

    He believes that the coming in of new people brings a lot of freshness to the show. “We keep challenging ourselves to do better every season. Internally we had new minds coming in and contributing for the new season. We had Sethi who has recently come onboard; she had her own points to put,” says Swamy.

     

    With always having a mix of old and new people, the channel has roped in a new co-producer in Vikas Gupta’s Lost Boy Productions, with Colosceum being the producer.

     

    Digital marketing

     

    MTV has close to 13 million fans on Facebook, a million and a half Twitter followers and close to 95,000 followers on Instagram. The website grabs eyeballs of 20 million visits. “We have been able to use the digital environment very well. We also have a vast network of channels within Viacom18. There are 18 channels within the network and MTV will use that to promote it. To top it all, there are several brands like Airtel, Breezer, Karbonn etc having their own marketing plans. Content marketing is the in-thing today,” says Swamy.

     

    On the marketing front, Swamy reveals that the spent is too less as a lot of marketing is driven on its own assets. “If you put a value to it, it’s huge, but we own a lot of these assets ourselves, so it is not paid marketing. We invest a lot in content,” quips Swamy.

     

    A media planner believes that the ad rate for a show like Splitsvilla ranges anywhere between Rs 1.30 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh for a 10-sec slot. “Look at the show today, it has already tasted success and still counting. The reach, visibility and also the content is growing season after season which is good for any youth reality show,” concludes the media planner.