Eco-friendly luggage brand Uppercase targets Rs 250 crore revenue in 2 years

A management graduate from SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai and an avid traveler, often exploring the globe with his family, outside the boardroom, he is burning midnight oils in taking his homegrown eco-friendly luggage brand to the next level from where it can cater to travel enthusiastic generation with a design first approach. He enjoys the soothing melodies of English country music and Tagore's Rabindra sangeet.

A devoted family man, Ghose finds profound joy in nurturing his twin sons alongside his wife while passionately guiding Acefour towards unprecedented success in the dynamic world of travel accessories. Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Sudip Ghosh, Founder and Managing Director, Uppercase, explains how the company is moving forward with its overarching mission to encourage sustainable travel practices while providing customers with trendy, chic, and environmentally conscious options.

How did the Uppercase journey start?

With years of experience in industries like VIP Industries, Samsonite, Reliance Communications, Whirlpool India and Bausch & Lomb, and particularly as the CEO and MD of VIP Industries, I could successfully orchestrate a remarkable increase in valuation, pushing the market cap to an impressive one billion dollars. My expertise at Samsonite South Asia, where I was the Executive Director of Marketing, leading the successful launch of iconic brands like American Tourister and Lavie. Subsequently, with a keen eye for the industry's pulse, I founded Acefour with few co-founders, to address a significant gap in sustainable travel accessories. Moves are now afoot to steer Acefour's flagship brand, uppercase, to epitomize style, sustainability, and sophistication. Our avant-garde approach aims to elevate Uppercase to both domestic and global acclaim, blending innovative designs with fashion and functionality.

How would you like to describe Uppercase as a brand?

Uppercase is a homegrown eco-friendly luggage brand catering to travel enthusiastic generation with a design first approach. The brand was founded in 2021 with a vision to transform the travel experience. It gained traction in the market and was officially launched in the GT sector in early 2023.

How do you position your brand and what had gone behind that thought?

We are Uppercase, a design-first and environmentally sensitive brand of Travel Gear for the young with a taste for things that don’t just help them look or feel good, but also do good. We create fashion-forward products carried by them on their person such as backpacks, messenger bags, duffels, gym bags as well as travel bags. We believe young citizens of the world care not just about looking good or feeling good, but doing good too!

They are builders of a better, brighter, happier world and we want to partner them. We exist to make the young feel attractive, while partnering them in keeping the world beautiful.

What does Uppercase specialise in?

Uppercase specialises in sustainable travel gear, encompassing a range of products including hard luggage, backpacks, duffel bags, and office satchels. The company’s flagship product, "Bullet" a hard luggage line, was facilitated with the prestigious Red Dot award for its innovative design. In the last 21 months, the company’s operations have yielded the recycling of an equivalent of 18 lakh plastic bottles, 1.47 lakh equivalent KGs of CO2 saving and 32,000 equivalent litres of oil conserved. The company's product line reflects a commitment to sustainability without compromising on style or functionality. The brand offers products tailored to the evolving needs of modern travelers.

Your co-founders must be contributing significantly and adding values sustainably…?

Dheeraj Goyal, Co-founder and COO, Uppercase, is an industry veteran and one of the driving force behind the company. With almost 8 years of experience in the industry, Goyal leads the company’s operations for sustainable growth. The company’s diverse product portfolio is designed by Nidhi Rajora, Co-founder and Chief Design Officer, who comes with over a decade of experience as a lead designer and has worked with brands like Tata Elxsi, VIP Industries, Samsonite and Jio.

How big is the market you operate in? What would be the breakup of organised and unorganised markets? What is the market share you are looking at?

The market we operate in is only 35 per cent organised and branded. Uppercase aims to capture notable market share by offering stylish, sustainable alternatives to traditional travel gear. With a commitment to customer satisfaction and sustainability, the company aims to achieve a revenue milestone of Rs 250 crore within the next two years.

How do you differentiate your brand, products and what is your overall mission?

Uppercase's overarching mission is to encourage sustainable travel practices while providing customers with trendy, chic, and environmentally conscious options. Each Uppercase bag undergoes rigorous testing to ensure durability while minimising environmental impact. With a focus on affordability and quality, uppercase aims to appeal to a wide spectrum of consumers, ranging from savers to seekers and experientialists. By aligning style with values, Uppercase aims to redefine travel gear as not just an accessory, but as a statement of environmental consciousness and unique style.

How is Uppercase working to solve the need for sustainable travel gear in the Indian market?

Uppercase is completely committed and totally focussed on sustainability without compromising on style or functionality. The brand offers products tailored to the evolving needs of modern travelers. Our fashion-forward and environmentally sensitive travel gears don’t just help you flaunt your standout style, but also your care for the future of our planet.

Everything we design and manufacture has to exceed benchmarks in delivering on the three important pillars of our brand. A backpack is a backpack. Right? Not really. While it would appear so when you see the sea of sameness in the luggage market, for us travel gear is fashion that you carry with you. They are fashion statements that define you and help you stand apart.

Our most potent R&D lab is data intelligence and the buying behaviour of our costumers allows us to design products with features that our customers want. Which means, features that you really need and no paying for features you don’t.Each product we make is an expression of our concern for the planet. Not only are our products made from recycled plastic, our strict protocols in energy management or waste disposal and no use of hazardous chemicals help our products be GRS-certified.