Hyderabad welcomes VegNonVeg: A new hub for India's passionate sneakerheads
Sneaker culture has always been a bit of a beautiful chaos — a mix of obsession, storytelling, and that universal urge to find the perfect pair that somehow “gets” you. Globally, it’s been powered by music, sport, art, and the kind of people who camp outside stores at 4 am just for bragging rights.
VegNonVeg launches Flagship store in Jubilee Hills
In India, the love was always there, but underground. People were importing kicks through cousins in Canada, friends in Hong Kong, or anyone who owed them a favour. It was passionate, but scattered — a subculture waiting for its stage.
Enter VegNonVeg, and suddenly India had a place where sneakerheads could geek out and argue over silhouettes. It brought the spotlight back on the culture in a way that what you’re sporting on your feet was the coolest new thing.
At VegNonVeg’s launch of their new flagship store in Hyderabad, we engage Emilia Bergmans, Abhineet Singh and Anand Ahuja in a chat to get deep and dirty in India’s sneaker landscape.
Tell us why you chose Hyderabad...
Abhineet: There’s a lot of young energy here. When we look at where a concept like VegNonVeg would be appreciated, Hyderabad becomes a no-brainer. Culturally, there’s love for the arts, and a large diaspora that has lived or travelled abroad and is looking for interesting things.
Anand: It’s cool to be in a city that feels like a tight community. People show up for each other here.
What would you want a customer to experience once they walk into the space?
Anand: In a world of online shopping, many prefer to buy online, where you come to a store to meet people and observe. In India, you can’t always people-watch like in Paris. Stores become a way to see people and create a community. Sneakers were mainstream for a bit, but now they’re again a subculture. It speaks to a passionate, enthusiastic customer who feels included in a small, special group.
Abhineet: When we envisioned a store here, we always thought it would be an incredible old bungalow you walk into. It had to have character and draw from the city itself. We looked at it from a perspective of paying homage to the city and culture, in the subtlety and in the materials used throughout the store.
Emilia: We wanted it to also be a space to hang out, not just shop. To come, experience, have a coffee.
How important is storytelling forcollectibles or limited editions?
Emilia: A lot of what we do is based on storytelling — and it doesn’t have to be a limited piece. Even an Air Force 1 has a story. Every shoe has one, innovation or fashion. Now you have sneakerinas, Mary Janes — taking a classic silhouette and adding comfort. Everything has a story, and we want to bring that out, especially in an Indian context. How would you actively build and cement a community, and what kind of people are you looking to bring in?
Abhineet: We’re committed to that and have been doing it for 10 years. Music plays an important part too. We want active music programming. Coffee is here through a local collaboration with True Black. We also have new brands here like Momotaro, a pure Japanese denim head brand, first time in India. We’re excited to introduce new things to the city.
Anand: VegNonVeg showed conviction early around non-performance, everyday sneakers — a category still underserved. That’s why we’re not in malls. We’re subculture. Everyone can find something here, but we’re not for everyone.
How would you actively build and cement a community, and what kind of people are you looking to bring in?
Abhineet: We’re committed to that and have been doing it for 10 years. Music plays an important part too. We want active music programming. Coffee is here through a local collaboration with True Black. We also have new brands here like Momotaro, a pure Japanese denim head brand, first time in India. We’re excited to introduce new things to the city.
Anand: VegNonVeg showed conviction early around non-performance, everyday sneakers — a category still underserved. That’s why we’re not in malls. We’re subculture. Everyone can find something here, but we’re not for everyone.
How has the Indian audience changed when it comes to sneaker culture?
Emilia: The Indian audience is now very aware of what’s happening globally. People are developing their own taste. There are many local brands and streetwear labels popping up. There’s cultural crossover and mixing, and new identities are emerging.
Abhineet: When we started, sneakerheads were the most enthusiastic because it didn’t exist here. But sneakerheads always existed; they just had other ways of getting what they wanted. Now they can buy here.
Anand: Even now, that mentality exists. If a shoe is desirable, even if it releases here, people still enter multiple raffles globally. That hustle mentality won’t go away. And it’s not just sneakers, it’s art and collectibles. There’s the Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami, he said his art was weird and sneakerheads were the only community that took him in. For me, it was basketball. For Abhineet and Emilia, it was art, culture, music.
Abhineet: That’s the essence of VegNonVeg. If you’re a misfit, chances are you’ll fit in here because you love sneakers.
Emilia & Abhineet: It’s about authenticity and having a different voice from the mainstream. Five years ago, hype culture had taken over, but the new generation is much more expressive.
Anand: That hype phase isolated our core customer. They’d been in this for long and were getting drowned. We tried to protect them. Now the hype has gone down but those people still exist, and they keep coming back.
Your favourite pair of sneakers?
Abhineet: Air Max 1 for me.
Anand: Since I moved to Mumbai, humidity affects shoes, so I mostly wear Converse and Footscapes.
Emilia: I wear my shoes hard, not like these guys who wear them so clean you can’t tell.
