Why VegNonVeg chose Hyderabad for its biggest store yet
As the streetwear boutique opens its largest store in Hyderabad, founders Anand Ahuja, Emilia Bergmans and Abhineet Singh discuss expansion and the road to their tenth anniversary
There’s an easy camaraderie that Anand Ahuja, Abhineet Singh and Emilia Bergmans — founders of sneaker and streetwear boutique VegNonVeg — share, and it comes through during their interaction with Lounge, a day ahead of the launch of their fifth India store in Hyderabad.
“I met them before I met Sonam (Kapoor). I was there at their wedding and we’ve both had kids since then. So, you know, there’s a lot that has happened in the last 10 years since we started the brand," shares Ahuja.
Launched in 2016, VegNonVeg (VNV) has cemented itself as a pioneer of India’s streetwear culture, celebrating not just sneakers and street fashion but also music and art. On how the trio works so seamlessly, Ahuja talks about their clear division of responsibilities: “When it comes to creativity and thought leadership, it’s Abhineet and Emilia. When it comes to product and operations, I come in. We work in tandem, and I think this is what has us standing on the verge of the tenth year of VNV."
While May 2026 will mark a decade of the brand, 2025 has been eventful too. After opening their fourth store in Gurgaon earlier this year, they launched their biggest outlet yet in Hyderabad this month. The 4,200 sq. ft. space in Jubilee Hills — designed by AIM Architecture — is described as “a cultural clubhouse where fashion, self-expression and community come together." As evening set in, Ahuja, Singh and Bergmans sat down to discuss VNV, their foray into Hyderabad, and what the tenth anniversary might look like.
You have stores in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru — cities with strong street culture movements. Hyderabad, in that sense, is less defined. Did people question your decision to expand here?
Anand Ahuja: At VNV, we’re always talking about the right pace of growth — including how many stores we really want. We’re careful not to enter a city just because the market is big. We step in only when we feel we have something to say or contribute. The city has to inspire us too. Coming to Hyderabad felt like stepping out of our comfort zone. People here shop and consume culture differently. The store became a way for us to learn from customers who are already buying from us — to show that we hear them and see them.
Abhineet Singh: Hyderabad is our fourth or fifth biggest market. So coming here was a no-brainer. There’s a young, upcoming market for urban culture. The city checks all the boxes for us.
Did you study the Hyderabadi fashion consumer? Any insights so far?
Anand Ahuja: In cities like Amsterdam or London, you instantly know what a fashion consumer looks like. In India, it’s less defined — but that’s what makes it exciting. Entering a city helps us understand our customers better. One of our staffers mentioned a Jordan survey showing a strong subculture of Jordan collectors in Hyderabad. What’s fun about streetwear is these subsets of customers. We get to speak to them and learn what they’re looking for. Over time, we hope to build a story around what Hyderabad actually loves.
The store’s design is said to reflect Hyderabad’s culture. What influenced the final look?
Abhineet Singh: This store is the biggest not because we wanted it to be the biggest, it's just that Hyderabad doesn't have small spaces, right? The city forces us to be ambitious. It took us about two-and-a-half years to find a space that felt right for us. When we first saw this space, it was just a beautiful garden with an old dilapidated bungalow from the 70s. And it was actually the outside setting of that building that inspired the interiors – the outside had a nice terracotta veranda, which inspired the ground floor level of the store.
Emilia Bergmans: The store is designed like a stage. We wanted to bring the outside in and take the inside out. The staircase is this tall, open shaft visible from both levels, which makes the space dynamic. We’re hoping people in Hyderabad will embrace it, roll through, and hang out with us.
With the tenth-year milestone approaching, what can we expect — collaborations, design experiments, celebrations?
Emilia Bergmans: There’s good stuff in the pipeline. While I can’t reveal everything, we have two global collaborations and one Indian collaboration coming up. We’re planning a bunch of community initiatives too. And we’re putting together a book about our 10-year journey.
Anand Ahuja: This is arguably one of the hardest times to be in the sneaker space in India, with restrictions and policy changes. But juxtaposed with our journey, I feel that establishing a healthier business now depends on how we navigate these shifts. It’s a coming-of-age moment for VNV, in a different way. Overall, it has been a really interesting ride.
Abhineet Singh: We’re only ten years old, but globally, streetwear culture is 50 years old. We’re still carving our niche in India. There’s a long way to go — but we’ll keep working hard.
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