Fabletics Enters India With Reliance Brands; First Store At DLF Promenade, Delhi

New Delhi/Mumbai— Global activewear label Fabletics is launching in India through an exclusive, long-term partnership with Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), marking another major international brand entry into the country’s fast-growing premium athleisure segment.

The brand will debut with a mono-brand store at DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, alongside a dedicated India e-commerce website, and will soon follow with a second standalone store in Mumbai, RBL said in a press release. *

Deal structure and rollout plan

Under the agreement, Reliance Brands will build and operate the Fabletics business in India, overseeing an omnichannel strategy that includes:

• Standalone retail stores

• Direct-to-consumer e-commerce via a local website

• Experiential brand environments tailored for Indian shoppers, leveraging RBL’s pan-India retail network

The initial product range will cover women’s and men’s activewear across training, running, yoga, Pilates and everyday movement, combining performance fabrics with fashion-led colours and silhouettes designed to transition from workout to daily wear. *

Why Fabletics, why now: brand and market fit

Founded in Los Angeles in 2013, Fabletics has grown from a digital-first label into a global omnichannel brand with 135+ stores worldwide, known for blending style, performance and value.

Sumeet Yadav, Head of Reliance Brands Limited, said: “India is undergoing an incredible transformation, driven by young consumers embracing movement, mindfulness and athleisure as essential to their everyday lives. As we looked to expand our activewear portfolio, Fabletics stood out for its distinctive approach to making fashion-forward design accessible and built for everyday wear, making it a natural fit for the evolving Indian market.”

Meera Bhatia, President of Fabletics, added: “India represents an important next step in Fabletics’ international growth. We built Fabletics around the idea that consumers shouldn’t have to choose between performance, style and value, and we see that proposition resonating strongly with the way India’s active consumer is evolving.”

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Strategic importance for Reliance Brands

The Fabletics tie-up strengthens RBL’s premium activewear and lifestyle portfolio, which already includes global names such as Burberry, Coach, Diesel, Michael Kors, Superdry and Versace. As of October 2025, RBL operated over 1,590 standalone stores and shop-in-shops across India.

For RBL, Fabletics offers:

• A high-growth category play in activewear/athleisure, where demand is being driven by fitness participation, community sports and hybrid work lifestyles.

• A fashion-forward yet accessible positioning that complements ultra-premium luxury brands in its portfolio.

• An omnichannel blueprint stores plus DTC e-commerce that RBL has been refining with other international partners.

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India’s activewear runway: context and competition

Industry reports highlight that India’s activewear market is on a strong growth path, with estimates pointing to a ₹16,000 crore opportunity as running, gym culture and community-led activities like pickleball gain traction.

Fabletics’ entry also comes as other global players eye India:

• Lululemon is preparing to open its first Indian store at DLF Promenade, New Delhi, in autumn 2026 via a franchise partnership with Tata Cliq, alongside online sales on Tata Cliq Luxury and Tata Cliq Fashion.

• SKIMS, the shapewear and apparel brand, is being brought to India by RBL, with stores planned for Delhi and Mumbai.

This clustering of premium international labels at the same mall and in the same cities underscores how seriously global brands now view India’s top metros as launchpads for South Asian expansion.

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What franchise and retail stakeholders should watch

For franchise investors, mall operators and retail partners, the Fabletics–RBL deal signals several trends:

• Premium activewear as a anchor category: Expect more international performance/lifestyle brands to seek Indian partners with strong mall relationships and omnichannel capabilities.

• Phygital-first launches: New entrants are likely to combine flagship stores with DTC websites rather than relying solely on marketplaces.

• Location concentration: Initial rollouts will focus on Delhi NCR and Mumbai, with Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune as probable phase-two markets once the model is proven.

While the financial terms of the Fabletics–RBL deal have not been disclosed, the structure an exclusive long-term partnership with RBL handling all operations is consistent with how Reliance has scaled other global brands in India.

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On-ground launch details (as announced)

• First store: DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

• Second store: Mumbai (location to be announced)

• Online: Dedicated India website launching alongside the Delhi store

• Categories: Women’s and men’s activewear for training, running, yoga, Pilates and everyday movement

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Why this matters for Franchise Elect readers

For the franchise and retail ecosystem, Fabletics’ India entry via Reliance Brands is a clear case study in:

• How global DTC-origin brands are using local master partners to de-risk market entry.

• Why activewear/athleisure is becoming a priority vertical for premium mall portfolios.

• The growing importance of omnichannel brand-building, where stores act as experience hubs while DTC sites capture data and repeat purchases.

As more international labels line up for India, the ability to execute tight omnichannel launches in Delhi and Mumbai will be a key differentiator and Fabletics’ rollout with RBL sets a benchmark to watch closely.

Sources: FashionNetwork, TheIndustry.fashion, Khaitan & Co, Moneycontrol. us.fashionnetwork