BUILDING AN ATHLEISURE BRAND CENTRED AROUND FITNESS, FASHION & FUN

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Read how Aneesha Labroo started Kica, spearheading all the action and innovation in India’s activewear market. Learn about her wellness journey and Kica’s impact on women and community building in sports and fitness.

Learn about the role of nutrition, routine, and discipline in our lives, and discover the joy and sense of community when working out.

Meet Aneesha Labroo, movement maestro and founder of Kica , a thriving athleisure brand that empowers women in sports and across all avenues of fitness. Just four years after its inception, Kica caught the attention of Nykaa , one of India’s largest beauty and lifestyle companies, and was acquired by them, a tremendous achievement for a young founder.

Let’s dive into Aneesha’s insights on fashion, fitness and why balance and discipline are key to kic(a)-starting your wellness journey and building an athleisure company.

Did the fitness bug bite you early? How did you know this was a space you wanted to be in?

Growing up, I played many sports but didn’t fully understand or embrace wellness as a concept until I moved to New York after college. There, I was constantly surrounded by people who built their lives and routines around their well-being. No matter how busy their lives were, people would always make time to go for a run or hit the gym, which I started to observe and slowly incorporate into my life. I believe your environment moulds your habits, and that’s exactly what I experienced. I built a solid routine that made fitness a non-negotiable part of how I went about my day and started to see the very tangible benefits of that, allowing me to embrace and embody other aspects of well-being too…eventually leading to Kica.

What dimensions beyond sports and fitness would you say you lean into when it comes to well-being?

In New York, my journey started off with physical fitness, but when I returned to India in 2016, I continued down the path of curiosity and discovery, eventually leading me to understand nutrition holistically and the impact of emotional and mental health on my well-being too. Given I was moving back to India after almost a decade, I experienced a variety of gut-related changes, including an unexpected allergy to yoghurt (which I consumed almost daily until then) leading to skin break-outs and flare-ups.

I wanted to live healthier in all ways, so I became obsessed with nutrition and focused on what I ate. I started following The Glucose Goddess and her simple routine to maintain sugar levels. It’s just the order in which I eat—greens first, then my fat or protein, and lastly my carbs. For hormonal balancing, I started reading about and practising seed cycling where for the first 14 days of my period I consume flax and pumpkin powder, and then for the next half of the cycle, I consume sunflower and sesame seeds. I also started prioritising how I felt and the tools and rituals necessary to develop emotional and mental well-being. My mindset shifted from just wanting to burn calories and look a certain way to building strength and moving towards the goal of feeling good overall.

What are some of the rituals that keep you feeling good every day?

I am a person of routine, so I tend to make my practices a part of my everyday life. I have a skincare routine in place and regularly use d’you products. To regulate my sleep, I use an Oura ring , Calm and Yoga Nidra . When my attitude towards fitness changed, I started to push myself in new ways. I love skiing, yoga, animal flow, kettlebell workouts, and cooking too! I like eating healthy, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a glass of wine once in a while. It’s really all about striking a balance with everything you enjoy.

Why, or rather…How did Kica get ‘kickstarted’?

When I started my fitness routine, my clothes played a big part in helping me embrace a fitter lifestyle. It was fun to embrace the aspect of clothing and fitness. On moving back to India, however, I discovered a dearth of options. In 2017, there was no Indian Lululemon equivalent, and there were very few Indian-born athlesiure or sportswear brands for everyday use. I started Kica because I wanted to bring fun and the very special dimension of community to the Indian fitness scene and bridge the gap between fitness, comfort, and style. My own obsession with wellness grew while I was moulding Kica into what it is. I got deeper into well-being because to make Kica work, I realised I needed to have a well-rounded view of wellness. I think our journeys have been moving side-by-side, in the way that I inspired Kica and Kica inspired me.

"I realised I needed to have a well-rounded view of wellness. I think our journeys have been moving side-by-side, in the way that I inspired Kica and Kica inspired me."

What drives you to keep going now that you have been on this journey, and successfully at that, for a few years?

What drives me the most when it comes to Kica is making a change in someone’s life. For a brand to be able to do that—to make someone love working out or love moving and find people that they love moving with—is what drives me. Even within my team, we’re always inspiring one another. Young girls who have never worked out before join Kica and see me or someone else prioritising their well-being, and slowly they get into working out and eating well. We see Kica help our customers discover their love for movement, try new sports, and find people they love working out with at our events. It’s amazing when the motivation to live well comes from a community. It just becomes a part of your life that you look forward to the most, and I’ve seen that with Kica. Our clothes, as I’ve said, are a huge part of our lives. We all need activewear to keep moving, and our products definitely support that movement. But that’s not going to be the motivation for you to move. The motivation comes from within and with the help of this community. That’s what Kica has given me and so many others.

What’s your go-to playlist for all this movement?

I range from indie to hip-hop to grime. If I had to pick three songs right now, I would say “Trying Your Luck” by The Strokes , “Rich Spirit” by Kendrick Lamar and “Creatures in Heaven” by Glass Animals .

Tell us: Why the name Kica?

I wanted a brand name that was active, short and energetic. Something people would want to say and feel proud wearing. Kica doesn’t stand for anything, but through one word, it embodies the feeling of “kicass”, “a kica chica”, “a kicass kica chica!”

Join the Kicass Kica Chica Community and fall in love with movement! Shop for Kica activewear and find the right outfit for your Oh,Well moments.