“The youth are set to begin the race of their life. We are here to give them wings to help them run faster,” says Sunil Jhunjhunwala, co-founder of TechnoSport, elated with the launch of their first flagship store in Coimbatore, a key city for the sports wear brand’s growth. TechnoSport began its operations in 2007 and later expanded by opening a factory in Tiruppur. The Coimbatore store, designed for a premium hands-on shopping experience, features a full range of performance wear and athleisure, including T-shirts, track pants, jackets, and sweatshirts, typically priced between ₹299 and ₹800. There are informative displays that emphasise technological innovations that distinguish the brand.

“Our logo features a young man in on-your-mark position. We wanted to reach out to the youth, especially those in the 15 to 40 age group, during which they are most productive. We believe that everyone should have access to high-quality activewear that can help them achieve their fitness goals. We employ advanced fabric technologies, and design our clothing to bemoisture-wicking, quick-drying, and breathable,” explains Sunil, adding his Salem-based family has been associated with textile business for over six decades. “As children, we would often sit in the office after school, as our home was upstairs,” he recalls.

After a career in IT in Bengaluru, he followed his family’s legacy in textiles, but with something new. “While working in the IT field, I enjoyed wearing international athleisure brands for the comfort. I realised that a chunk of the population cannot afford such brands because of the cost factor. I felt there was a product-market gap and wanted to bring this to the common man,” explains Sunil, who started importing high performance polyester fabrics from Taiwan and China. “There is polyester for ₹100 and also for thousands of dollars per kilogram. The artificial tooth implants which dentists use have high-end polyester. It’s a man-made fibre, hence versatile, light, and strong. While in India, it is generally seen as a cheap alternative to cotton, we invested in technology and took the leap.”

The product range features performance wear and athleisure, including T-shirts, track pants, jackets and sweatshirts | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

However, unfavourable ecosystem for manufacturing activewear in India pushed him to build his own manufacturing unit supported by a strong R&D team. “In 2013 we entered manufacturing. India has unique problems with respect to heat, humidity, sun exposure, hygiene. New technologies in activewear can solve these problems and enhance the comfort and convenience of users,” he says and talks about technoguard, an antimicrobial technology used in their garments. “Metals like copper, silver or zinc, have natural antimicrobial properties. People drink water from copper vessels, babies are fed using silver cups or spoons, and silver foil is added onkajukatli as garnish to increase shelf life. We took zinc which is cheaper than copper and silver but has similar effect. This is converted as a nanoparticle and embedded in the fibre for anti-microbial performance.”

He says the brand is particular about keeping the operations sustainable. For example, the products are made in zero liquid discharge facilities, where they recover and recycle 95% of waste water. The factories are run on wind and solar energy and there are plans to move towards zero coal. “We are experimenting withkaruvelam, an invasive tree species in Tamil Nadu, as an alternative to coal. We are putting a lot of effort to reduce or minimise our carbon footprint. We look at it holistically where the carbon footprint of a garment in its entire life cycle is less as it is durable and lightweight and requires less number of washes,” says Sunil adding that last year alone they sold over one crore garments. The products are currently available across 5000 multi-brand outlets across the country. There are plans to increase their presence across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by launching a mix of flagship outlets, high-street and mall stores, and shop-in-shops at sports destinations.

Located at Shop No. 25 A1, Ground Floor (Opposite Rajasthani Sangh Bhawan), RS Puram