[100 Emerging Women Leaders] This woman entrepreneur has built a paradise for sneaker lovers

Nisha Lulla recalls attending a trade show in Mumbai with her husband Sangeet Paryani, whose family owns the master franchise for Adidas in Rajasthan. While exploring shoe options for their franchise, they learned that a specific sneaker model would only be available at exclusive retail sneaker stores and not at regular Adidas outlets.

“That was the moment the idea of a sneaker store began to take shape in our minds,” she says. “We realised there was a clear segmentation in the market. Even Adidas didn’t stock that particular range in their stores—it was reserved for specialised sneaker stores. This intrigued us, and we delved deeper into the concept,” she tells HerStory.

This marked the beginning of Superkicks, a retail store that offers a curated mix of globally renowned sneakers and exclusive premium apparel in 2018. The products are available in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaipur.

“At Superkicks, we’re not just a store; we’re a gateway to global sneaker and streetwear culture. Whether you’re looking for archival sneakers, performance silhouettes, or premium apparel, we bring the world’s best to your doorstep,” she adds.

The store features a lineup of brands, including Nike NSW (Sportswear), Adidas Originals, and Puma Sportstyle, offering heritage-inspired classics like the Adidas Samba and Nike Air Max to contemporary designs. Its lineup also includes Asics Lifestyle and New Balance, offering archival classics like the 990 series, and retro runners.

They also offer models such as the Air Jordan 1 and Jordan 3. Additionally, it also houses Saucony Originals. In exclusive apparel, they offer several global premium and luxury apparel brands.

“These include Represent Clo from Manchester, known for its elevated streetwear, and Sporty and Rich, a minimalist wellness-inspired label by Emily Oberg. We also feature FDMTL (Fundamental), a Japanese brand offering ultra-premium, limited-edition denim crafted with unparalleled attention to detail,” she says.

“Our selection continues to grow with additions like No Problemo, a sub-brand of the British luxe streetwear label Aries Arise, and Carhartt WIP, which meets the demand for trendy, rugged workwear-inspired apparel,” she adds.

She highlights that shoe curation is a significant focus at Superkicks, with some apparel brands being exclusively available at their store.

“Currently, only 1-2% of our total sales come from our in-house apparel line. This is primarily because we focus on capsule collections. However, we plan to expand this significantly in the coming year, aiming to increase apparel sales to 10-15%,” she adds

Lulla also explains that they started with a retail store first as they aimed to build trust among the customers.

“We started before the lockdown, but the pandemic accelerated our focus on upgrading our online store since offline stores were closed. While COVID helped us to enhance our online presence, we’ve always been an offline-first brand. We believe that our online store’s success depends on the trust our offline stores build with customers,” she adds.

The journey

Born and raised in Mumbai, Lulla came from a family with no prior business background. Despite this, she pursued a BCom degree along with a diploma in advertising. Her interest in the creative field led her to an internship at Ogilvy, an advertising firm. However, it was during this stint that Lulla had a moment of realisation—she didn’t want to work for someone else. This sparked her entrepreneurial spirit, and she began to envision a future where she could start her own business.

She says, she and her husband were passionate about starting their own business. “Both of us were driven and determined to start something of our own. That’s how the idea of Superkicks took its first step forward,” she says.

Since she was deeply involved in dance since childhood, she started choreographing weddings at the age of 18. By the age of 20, she started a dance academy, where she conducted classes and handled wedding choreography projects. This venture continued until she was 26 years old.

Lulla says her background in dance helped her build a strong network, which helped her in building Superkicks.

“My background in dance helped me build strong connections and a knack for networking, which made launching Superkicks much easier. When we opened in Mumbai, all my contacts and people in my network at that time had come to the store. Many of them are still loyal customers and friends today,” she adds.

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Challenges

Lulla shares that running and managing a dance studio was a completely different experience compared to leading a business like Superkicks.

“In the dance business, one has to manage a small team of maybe three people with no involvement in structured roles like HR. However, with Superkicks, the challenge was much larger. It involved understanding various roles and learning how to communicate effectively with team members across different departments, such as marketing, photography, and HR while providing clear directions to all,” she explains.

However, she says she was fortunate to never face any gender-related issues as a woman entrepreneur.

She also mentions that it was challenging initially to separate her business life from her personal life.

“Having worked for me for years, entrepreneurship wasn’t entirely new, but starting Superkicks came with its challenges. In the early years, managing everything—customer service, operations, and making a strong first impression—was overwhelming. Balancing business and personal life was tough, but we’ve since learned to set boundaries for the sake of our mental health,” she adds.