Wildcraft
Encyclopedia
Wildcraft is India’s largest adventure
and outdoor gear company focused around Outdoor Activities like camping
, mountain climbing, trekking and backpacking
. Wildcraft manufactures outdoor gear like rucksacks, backpacks, travel gear, camping
gear, tents, sleeping bags, camera bags and accessories. Based out of Bangalore
, India
, it has 31 exclusive stores across Bangalore
, Hyderabad, Chennai
, Ernakulam
, Mangalore
, Mumbai
, Pune
, Ahmedabad
, NOIDA
, Delhi
and Chandigarh
, with its gear being additionally available in over 200 multi-branded stores across India.
.With increased demand, the operations have scaled up and exclusive stores started to opening up.
Wildcraft got incorporated as a Private Limited company on 27 April 1998.
Wildcraft got a new turn when two MBA graduates joined forces with Dinesh.
Since 2007, Wildcraft is headed by a three member management team with Dinesh KS (a certified instructor in climbing and mountaineering
from the National Outdoor Leadership School
(NOLS), USA) heading the Operations & Design function, Gaurav Dublish heading the Marketing & Sales function and Siddharth Sood heading the Finance & Support functions.It became a Rs. 1 crore company in 2007.
In testimony with world class quality, Wildcraft has launched a Signature Series in September,2009.The products in this range are made from HDHD 1000D texturized w/r Nylon Fabric; stitched with Nylon bonded thread and bar-tacked for greater durability. It comes with a 25 year guarantee.Other products come with a guarantee of 5 years.
as a leisure
activity in India, Wildcraft added a hydration pack
for cyclists to its range in 2008, as it supported the Tour of Nilgiris
, a week-long bicycling tour across the Nilgiri Mountains in South India. This new addition has begun to extend the reach of the company in the outdoor space.
Wildcraft extends support to travel enthusiasts and athletes as well. From 2009 Wildcraft has started supporting Chea Marak, one of India's youngest & most promising climbers with her equipment needs. Wildcraft in 2007 also supported Anu Vaidyanathan
, India's only triathlete
.
In August 2009, Wildcraft in association with the National Outdoor Leadership School
(NOLS) in Wyoming, USA hosted the Wilderness First Responder(WPR), an 80-hour intensive course of handling medical emergencies in the wild.The WPR curriculum spans over 10 days and covers topics such as treatment of infectious diseases, management of musculoskeletal injuries like fractures, sprains, dislocations,head injuries, etc..
MTV India
in partnership with Wildcraft have launched “MTV Gear” category during July, 2010. Under this range wide range of stylish outdoor gears are available which is appealing to the youthful and adventure loving mass. Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez
and three MTV VJs - Rannvijay
, Bani J and Ayushmann
- were present at the launch event.
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
and outdoor gear company focused around Outdoor Activities like camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, mountain climbing, trekking and backpacking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
. Wildcraft manufactures outdoor gear like rucksacks, backpacks, travel gear, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
gear, tents, sleeping bags, camera bags and accessories. Based out of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, it has 31 exclusive stores across Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Hyderabad, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
, Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, NOIDA
Noida
Noida , short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Area, is an area in India under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority . Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanization...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
, with its gear being additionally available in over 200 multi-branded stores across India.
Origin
Dinesh KS, founder director of Wildcraft, in the early 1990s found it often difficult to get good quality gears for his adventure expeditions and imported gears were costly.He having a background in engineering and design began to deign his own rucksacks,tents and sleeping bags.Other climbers and adventure enthusiasts began to demand these designs.He was forced to choose between his job at a electronics company and expeditions.Thus, Wildcraft was founded in 1992 with a mission to propagate Outdoor Activities and to provide access to world-class Outdoor Gear & Equipment in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.With increased demand, the operations have scaled up and exclusive stores started to opening up.
Early days(1992 - 1998)
The company's first product was dome shaped tent.Then it shifted to backpacks which was quite in demand at that time.Gradually it ventured into other outdoor gears such as rucksacks,sleeping bags, outdoor clothing and also selling some of imported climbing hardware.Though the manufacturing facilities were outsourced, it were relevantly engineered based on the hands-on experience of the wilderness.Based in Bengaluru,a small garage served as the company's office and shop.The struggle for scaling up the operations continued.Wildcraft got incorporated as a Private Limited company on 27 April 1998.
1999- 2010
Still the company lacked a proper plan for the growth.The company ran into jeopardy when Dinesh joined as a instructor with the US-based National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), splitting his time between courses in India and the US.In 2003,the company began to run into losses.The situation got further complicated when after few years two of its three original partners resigned.Wildcraft got a new turn when two MBA graduates joined forces with Dinesh.
Since 2007, Wildcraft is headed by a three member management team with Dinesh KS (a certified instructor in climbing and mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
from the National Outdoor Leadership School
National Outdoor Leadership School
The National Outdoor Leadership School , is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills, safety and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions...
(NOLS), USA) heading the Operations & Design function, Gaurav Dublish heading the Marketing & Sales function and Siddharth Sood heading the Finance & Support functions.It became a Rs. 1 crore company in 2007.
Today
Today, the once struggling Wildcraft has 34 branded retail showrooms across India (including 12 franchised outlets). Approximately 25 per cent of the company turnover comes from sales at its 34 stores, of which 40 per cent is from company-run showrooms. The remaining revenue is from institutional sales, modern trade and trade.Its sales are no longer a Bangalore centric.The sales from Noida, Kochi, Chandigarh and Vashi (Navi Mumbai) showrooms make into its top five showrooms.The company has scaled up and now has two manufacturing factories — one in Bangalore and the other in Himachal Pradesh. It plans to become a Rs.100 core company by 2012-13 and Rs.200 crore by next four to five years.Products and Equipments
The list of product range in retail are:- Outdoor Gear:
- Rucksacks,Day-packs
- Adventure Gear:
- Tents & Sleeping Bags,Climbing Gear(from PetzlPetzlPetzl is a world leading manufacturer of climbing gear, caving gear, work-at-height equipment, and headlamps based in Crolles , France. The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl in the mid-1970s...
), Adventure Add-ons(Personal flotation devicePersonal flotation deviceA personal flotation device is a device designed to assist a wearer, either conscious or unconscious, to keep afloat.Devices designed and approved by authorities for use by...
, Chalk bag,etc.), Miscellaneous Gear- Corporate Gear:
- Laptop Backpacks,Portfolios
- Campus Gear:
- Wiki Bags,Shoulder Packs
- Travel Gear:
- Voyager Series, Duffel bagDuffel bagA duffel bag is a large cylindrical bag made of cloth with a drawstring closure at the top....
,Camera Bags,Travel Accessories- Active Gear:
- Fleece Series,Uppers & Lowers,Activewear Add-ons(caps)
- MTV Gear
- Miscellaneous:
- Wildcraft Calender
In testimony with world class quality, Wildcraft has launched a Signature Series in September,2009.The products in this range are made from HDHD 1000D texturized w/r Nylon Fabric; stitched with Nylon bonded thread and bar-tacked for greater durability. It comes with a 25 year guarantee.Other products come with a guarantee of 5 years.
Support for Activities and Athletes
With the increasing popularity of cyclingCycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
as a leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
activity in India, Wildcraft added a hydration pack
Hydration pack
A hydration pack is a type of hydration system built as a backpack or waist pack containing a reservoir or "bladder" commonly made of rubber or flexible plastic. The reservoir contains a capped mouth for filling with liquid and a hose that allows the wearer to drink hands-free...
for cyclists to its range in 2008, as it supported the Tour of Nilgiris
Tour of Nilgiris
The Tour of Nilgiris is India’s first and best organized Bicycle Tour.Billed as India's Longest Bike Ride, what makes this Tour more appealing is that this Tour is extremely well organized by professionals who share the vision of the ....
, a week-long bicycling tour across the Nilgiri Mountains in South India. This new addition has begun to extend the reach of the company in the outdoor space.
Wildcraft extends support to travel enthusiasts and athletes as well. From 2009 Wildcraft has started supporting Chea Marak, one of India's youngest & most promising climbers with her equipment needs. Wildcraft in 2007 also supported Anu Vaidyanathan
Anu Vaidyanathan
Anuradha Vaidyanathan, known as Anu Vaidyanathan, is an Indian triathlete who is the first and only Asian to compete in Ultraman and placed 6th. In three years, she competed all over the globe in Ironman distance events and long-course triathlons culminating in in 2009, followed by a finish at...
, India's only triathlete
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
.
In August 2009, Wildcraft in association with the National Outdoor Leadership School
National Outdoor Leadership School
The National Outdoor Leadership School , is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills, safety and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions...
(NOLS) in Wyoming, USA hosted the Wilderness First Responder(WPR), an 80-hour intensive course of handling medical emergencies in the wild.The WPR curriculum spans over 10 days and covers topics such as treatment of infectious diseases, management of musculoskeletal injuries like fractures, sprains, dislocations,head injuries, etc..
Media and Public Relations
Besides the exclusive stores and stores in multi branded stores, Wildcraft has its own online shop. The shipping of the products is free in India and delivery is made within 3 days.Some selected Wildcraft bags can be availed through myntra, one of the emerging e-commerce company of India.Myntra-WildcraftMTV India
MTV India
MTV India is the Indian version of MTV , a channel specialising in music and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 and is now part of the Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd based in Mumbai. . "MTV India" is one of the oldest Music Television Networks in Asia...
in partnership with Wildcraft have launched “MTV Gear” category during July, 2010. Under this range wide range of stylish outdoor gears are available which is appealing to the youthful and adventure loving mass. Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez
Jacqueline Fernandez
Jacqueline Fernandez is a Sri Lankan actress and model who works in Bollywood films. She is a former beauty queen who won the Miss Sri Lanka Universe in 2006...
and three MTV VJs - Rannvijay
Rannvijay Singh
Ranvijay Singh Singha , is a VJ and Bollywood actor. He was a participant and also the finalist in the first season of MTV Roadies and that lead to him becoming the host for the MTV show, Roadies. He also became a part of the judging panel for MTV Roadies 8 along with Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman....
, Bani J and Ayushmann
Ayushmann Khurrana
Ayushmann Khurrana : Former Radio Jockey and now a Video Jockey and Television Anchor and soon to become Actor, Ayushmann Khurrana began as a contestant of the reality show MTV Roadies Season 2 which catapulted him to fame and he moved on to become a VJ on MTV as well as anchoring popular shows and...
- were present at the launch event.