Smriti Mandhana Joins ONE8 as Brand Ambassador in a Co-Creation Partnership

Introduction

India's sportswear market is growing fast — but its women's performance segment has long been an afterthought for most brands. Agilitas is changing that calculus with a move that goes well beyond a standard celebrity endorsement. The Bangalore-based company has onboarded star cricketer Smriti Mandhana as Brand Ambassador for ONE8, its high-performance sportswear label. With Virat Kohli already part of the ONE8 ecosystem, this partnership brings together two of Indian sport's most influential contemporary athletes under a single brand — and signals a serious, long-term commitment to building India's first truly athlete-driven sportswear brand.

The Big Announcement

Agilitas has officially announced Smriti Mandhana as Brand Ambassador for ONE8, marking a significant expansion of the brand's focus on the women's sports and lifestyle segment.

Mandhana's role is explicitly positioned as a co-creation partnership rather than a conventional endorsement. She is already working directly with ONE8's product and R&D teams, contributing athlete insights to the development of cricket performance wear for women and high-intensity training products tailored for demanding performance needs.

The association also creates a landmark moment for Indian sport — bringing Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana together under the ONE8 ecosystem. The "18 joins 18" alignment represents a convergence of sporting excellence and shared ambition to shape sport-led cultural influence in India.

ONE8's women's category will now develop with direct input from one of Indian cricket's most decorated and visible athletes, reinforcing the brand's commitment to building an inclusive, performance-first sportswear ecosystem.

What This Means for Your Brand

This partnership is a masterclass in how sportswear brands — and indeed any brand — should be rethinking the ambassador model in 2026.

The shift from endorsement to co-creation is not cosmetic. When an athlete contributes to product development rather than simply appearing in campaigns, the brand gains something far more valuable than reach — it gains credibility. For ONE8, Mandhana's involvement in R&D means the women's performance range will carry genuine athlete validation, not just a famous face on packaging.

For Indian brands targeting the women's sports segment, this is a timely signal. Women's cricket viewership in India has grown dramatically over the past three years, driven by ICC tournaments, the WPL, and the rising visibility of players like Mandhana. Brands that establish deep associations with these athletes now — before the category fully matures — will build equity that latecomers simply cannot buy.

The broader implication for marketing teams: the most powerful brand partnerships are built on shared missions, not transactional agreements. Mandhana's own words — "when the mission speaks to you, you show up fully" — capture exactly the kind of authentic alignment that modern consumers can distinguish from manufactured endorsements.

Expert Take

Abhishek Ganguly, Co-Founder and CEO of Agilitas, described the Mandhana partnership as a defining moment for ONE8 — emphasising that her involvement in product design and innovation is what differentiates this association from a standard ambassador deal. His framing of it as a long-term play focused on building India's first high-performance sportswear brand reflects a deliberate brand-building philosophy rather than a campaign-driven mindset.

The strategic logic is sound. India's sportswear market is projected to grow significantly through the decade, driven by rising fitness consciousness, women's sport participation, and the premiumisation of athletic wear. The women's segment specifically remains underpenetrated relative to its actual consumer base. By embedding Mandhana's expertise directly into product development, ONE8 is not just marketing to women athletes — it is building for them, with them. That distinction will matter enormously as the category grows more competitive.

The brands.in Perspective

ONE8 is attempting something genuinely ambitious — building a homegrown Indian sportswear brand that can compete on performance, not just patriotism. The Mandhana partnership advances that ambition in two important ways. First, it expands the brand's athletic credibility beyond cricket's male fanbase into the fast-growing women's sport audience. Second, and more importantly, it establishes a product development philosophy rooted in real athlete experience. In a category dominated by global giants with decades of R&D investment, that authenticity could be ONE8's sharpest competitive edge. The question now is whether the products deliver on the promise the partnership is making.

Key Takeaways for Marketers

• Co-creation partnerships deliver deeper brand credibility than conventional celebrity endorsements
• Women's sports marketing in India is at an inflection point — early movers will build lasting equity advantages
• Athlete-driven product development creates authentic validation that resonates strongly with performance-oriented consumers
• Long-term ambassador strategies outperform campaign-by-campaign endorsement deals in building sustained brand identity
• Dual athlete ecosystems — combining Kohli and Mandhana — give ONE8 cross-gender reach across India's largest sport

FAQ

What is ONE8 and who owns it? ONE8 is a high-performance sportswear brand under Agilitas, a Bangalore-based sports and lifestyle company. Originally associated with Virat Kohli, the brand is positioning itself as India's first athlete-driven, performance-first sportswear label targeting both men's and women's sports segments.

What will Smriti Mandhana's role involve beyond brand ambassadorship? Mandhana will actively contribute to product development, working with ONE8's R&D teams on cricket performance wear and high-intensity training products for women. Her involvement goes beyond marketing to directly shaping the brand's women's performance category through athlete insights.

Why is the Kohli-Mandhana combination significant for ONE8? It brings together two of Indian sport's most influential athletes — each with massive, distinct fanbases — under a single brand ecosystem. This dual association gives ONE8 broad cultural reach across gender and audience segments, strengthening its positioning as an inclusive, high-performance sportswear brand.

Closing

In a market where most sportswear brands talk about empowering athletes, ONE8 is actually putting an athlete in the room where products are built. That is a meaningful difference — and one that Indian consumers are increasingly equipped to recognise.

Does India need a homegrown high-performance sportswear brand? And can ONE8 deliver on that promise? Share your take below — and follow brands.in for daily brand intelligence covering partnerships, campaigns, and the stories shaping Indian marketing.