Anand Mahindra backs Indian sneaker brand Comet's DIY model
Synopsis
Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra endorsed Comet, a young Indian sneaker brand, praising its hands-on co-creation model as a textbook example of the Experience Economy — and announced he is personally ordering a pair.
Key Takeaways
Anand Mahindra publicly endorsed Indian sneaker brand Comet on October 9, 2026 , announcing a personal purchase.
He cited Pine and Gilmore's 1998 HBR article 'Welcome to the Experience Economy' as the conceptual backbone for Comet's co-creation model.
Comet allows customers to physically participate in crafting their sneakers, not just choose options — a step beyond conventional customisation.
Mahindra argued that co-creation makes the experience 'as memorable as the product,' giving the brand a durable competitive edge over global incumbents.
He expressed hope that Comet challenges established global sneaker brands operating in India.
A pair of sneakers and a knife — that is all it takes to make Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra sit up and take notice. On Friday, October 9, 2026, Mahindra turned to X to champion Comet, a young Indian sneaker brand whose customisable, hands-on creation model he called 'clever' — and then promptly announced he was ordering a pair himself.
From status symbol to something you make yourself
Mahindra opened with a brisk history of brand evolution: status, then identity, now experience. He anchored the observation in academic bedrock — the 1998 Harvard Business Review article 'Welcome to the Experience Economy' by Pine and Gilmore, a paper that argued companies would increasingly compete by staging memorable experiences rather than delivering goods or services. Nearly three decades on, he sees Comet as proof the prediction has arrived on Indian streets.
The chairman's framing is deliberate. By invoking Pine and Gilmore, he elevates what might look like a quirky startup gimmick into a structural shift in consumer capitalism — one that even the world's biggest sneaker houses are still scrambling to master.
Comet's bet: the knife is the point
Comet's proposition, as Mahindra describes it, is not merely customisation — it is co-creation. Buyers are not choosing a colourway from a dropdown menu; they are physically involved in crafting the product. That tactile participation, Mahindra argues, makes the experience 'as memorable as the product' itself. The slightly self-deprecating punchline — keeping a first-aid kit handy in case he nicks himself with the knife — lands the point with warmth rather than a corporate thud.
For a brand trying to carve space against entrenched global giants in India's fast-growing athletic-footwear market, the strategy is asymmetric: multinationals can outspend on marketing, but they cannot easily replicate the intimacy of a customer who literally cut the leather themselves.
Why Mahindra's endorsement carries weight
Mahindra is not a passive cheerleader for Indian enterprise — his X posts on homegrown innovation reliably travel far, drawing engagement from investors, consumers, and founders alike. A personal purchase announcement from one of India's most-followed industrialists is the kind of organic signal that money genuinely cannot buy. His closing wish — that Comet gives 'established global sneaker brands in India a run for their money' — doubles as a competitive dare to the incumbents and a rallying call for the domestic ecosystem.
For India's D2C startup scene, the moment underlines a broader truth: in a crowded market, the brand that makes the customer part of the story wins more than a sale. It wins a memory.
Point of View
Memorable experiences command stronger loyalty and pricing power than those selling products alone. For India's D2C footwear segment, Comet's co-creation angle is a classic differentiation play against deep-pocketed multinationals who dominate on distribution and marketing spend. A high-profile endorsement from a chairman with Mahindra's reach can compress years of brand-awareness spend into a single viral moment — precisely the asymmetric advantage that bootstrapped Indian startups need. The Pine and Gilmore reference also signals that experience-economy thinking, long mainstream in Western brand strategy, is now being actively applied — and celebrated — at the highest levels of Indian industry.
NationPress
9 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Comet sneakers India?
Comet is a young Indian direct-to-consumer sneaker brand that lets customers physically participate in crafting their own footwear, going beyond standard colour or design customisation to a hands-on co-creation experience.
Why did Anand Mahindra praise Comet?
Mahindra praised Comet because its co-creation model aligns with the 'Experience Economy' concept — the idea that the most memorable and sticky brands sell experiences, not just products — and he sees it as a smart strategy to compete with global sneaker giants in India.
What is the Pine and Gilmore Experience Economy?
Pine and Gilmore's 'Welcome to the Experience Economy' is a landmark 1998 Harvard Business Review article arguing that companies should stage engaging, memorable experiences rather than simply deliver goods or services, as experiences command greater loyalty and value.
Is Anand Mahindra buying Comet sneakers?
Yes. In his October 9, 2026 post, Mahindra stated he is personally ordering a pair of Comet sneakers, joking he would keep a first-aid kit nearby given the hands-on knife-cutting process involved.
How does co-creation help Indian D2C brands compete with global sneaker companies?
Co-creation builds emotional ownership — customers who help make a product form a stronger bond with the brand than those who simply buy off a shelf. This loyalty and word-of-mouth advantage is difficult for large multinationals to replicate with mass-market supply chains.
