How Rizzzed is transforming gamer style into mainstream streetwear fashion

When dedicated gamer and esports enthusiast Hrishav Bhattacharjee launched a platform to host esports competitions, WarMania, in 2018, he had no idea that he would one day have a D2C clothing brand that operated at the intersection of his passion for gaming and the growing demand for streetwear in the country.

Nearly six years later, Bhattacharjee now owns and runs Rizzéa video game-inspired D2C streetwear brand that offers a unique blend of graphics and designs reflecting the intensity and artistry of the video game universe.

However, according to the founder, this is just one of the many facets of the brand (Rizzzed) which is inspired by The Souled storea brand born from its founders’ passion for pop culture.

Another interesting part of Bhattacharjee’s journey was his connections with the founders of The Souled Store, who supported the founder’s journey from behind the scenes.

The founder is in the process of signing term sheets with game publishers for two years. Once that’s done, you might see the Rizzzed founder make an appearance on Shark Tank India.

Now, before we dive deeper into exploring the contours of the brand, here’s a look at Bhattacharjee’s journey to incorporating Rizzzed.

A journey from WarMania to Rizzzed

Bhattacharjee’s quest began in 2018, when the Indian gaming sector was overhauled with games like PUBG. The founder was then 17 years old. Given his extreme talent for gaming, it was only natural for him to explore avenues that fit his interests. So he joined GodLike, one of the leading esports organizations in India, where he honed his skills and gained competitive experience.

However, after facing sponsorship and payment challenges, he recognized a gap in the organized gaming tournament market in India, leading him to launch WarMania.

“WarMania has quickly become an important player in the Indian video game landscape. Just three months after launching the platform, we hosted the first third-party international tournament in India, featuring teams from 11 countries. This helped us attract a substantial audience, attracting around 80,000 subscribers,” said Bhattacharjee.

But something was still missing and the founder was not satisfied. Even though Bhattacharjee generated significant revenue from WarMania, he decided to put the project on hold.

“Maybe subconsciously I wanted to create something that would focus on selling products rather than providing services,” the founder said.

And, by chance, Bhattacharjee, who has a weakness for T-shirts printed with jargons or game characters, made a little discovery.

“At gaming events, people would appreciate my T-shirt collection. That’s when I realized there was a high demand for video game-inspired clothing, but people didn’t know where to buy quality products,” the founder said.

This struck him, and that’s when he contacted The Souled Store co-founders Vedang Patel and Harsh Lal. Notably, Bhattacharjee knows them from his event days.

The curious Bhattacharjee was validated when the already established co-founders of The Souled Store bought into his vision. “At the time, everyone was doing Anime, Marvel or DC, and gaming was a new field waiting to be broken into. And I could feel it in my bones,” the founder said.

So, with little knowledge about the textile industry, the founder took a leap of faith and spent most of 2022 conducting extensive market research. In 2023, Bhattacharjee hired a few former senior designers from The Souled Store and launched Rizzzed with 11 models in February 2024.

The brand sells through its website and through pop-up stalls in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. It should be available on Amazon soon.

Each piece in the Rizzzed collection features iconic gaming elements, from retro pixel art to modern esports aesthetics. The designs capture the essence of various gaming genres, characters, and cultures while maintaining the cool, understated vibe of streetwear. Some of his best designs are inspired by games like GTA San Andreas, Call of Duty, Cyberpunk 2077, God of War, Red Dead Redemption, The WitcherAnd Mortal Combat.

In addition to offering T-shirts, the brand actively participates in gaming events, sponsorships and collaborations. So far, the brand has collaborated with 20 influencers and aims to reach 100 by the end of FY25.

Rizzzed’s early hiccups

When launching Rizzzed, the founder imagined that his idea would resonate with a wider audience and not just gamers. However, this assumption was quickly proven wrong within the first month.

“In the first month, the brand managed to achieve sales of INR 2.5 Lakh. However, contrary to my vision of serving a wider target audience, all the customers were from the gaming community,” said the founder.

After this, the founder connected with an advertising agency, who promised him sales of INR 10-12 Lakhs and a return on advertising spend (ROAS) of 4-5 times.

However, in the first month with the agency (March), the startup generated an ROAS of just 0.4, followed by 0.68 in the second month (April) and 0.8 in the third (May). At that time, the founder had already paid INR 5 Lakh to the advertising agency.

The agency suggested the designs might not resonate with audiences, leading Bhattacharjee to question his brand’s market.

Not wanting to give up, the founder changed his strategy and decided to try his hand offline. This strategy proved crucial for the brand as Bhattacharjee was now on the ground and could get real-time feedback to further tweak his product line or add new ones. Around this time, he also heard about a flea market in Pune where they could set up a pop-up stall.

“In just two days, the brand achieved a turnover of INR 1.5 Lakh. What’s interesting is that 90% of the buyers were not gamers, which proves that there was indeed a market. Now it was just about how we promoted the brand,” the founder said.

In mid-June, he suspended all advertising completely and began learning about meta ads. During this month, the brand made no sales. However, in July, the brand, thanks to the founder’s learning, achieved a ROAS of 5X, raking in INR 7.5 Lakh in sales. Since then, according to the founder, the brand has seen continued growth.

After solving the revenue paradox, the next challenge was to identify products that were a good fit for its target audience. For this, it initially launched 11 products, comprising a mix of four aggressive designs, two fun ones, one merchandise item and three quirky pieces.

“One of the bestsellers was a funny cartoon that became so popular that its cheaper knockoff was selling in Delhi’s Chor Bazaar, revealing that the humor resonated well with customers. Another major success for us was an aggressive ghost design, showing that bold, statement themes had strong appeal, even if not everyone connected with the aggressive style,” said Bhattacharjee.

To expand its reach, the brand then introduced a GTA-inspired design, mixing both aggressive and non-aggressive elements, in order to attract a wider audience. Additionally, the founder observed that female gamers preferred oversized, classic tees over cropped tops, leading the brand to focus more on these styles.

Building on this knowledge, the brand expanded its offering to 22 products. Currently, its two best sellers are the ghost design and a Witcher-inspired design from the series, with the ghost accounting for 23% of its sales, merchandise at 21%, and the Witcher design at 16%.

Many of its designs use a blown vinyl print, known for its anti-wrinkle properties and natural water absorption, making them ideal for all seasons. All designs are screen printed, ensuring durability for up to 100 washes.

The road ahead for Rizzzed

Rizzzed currently offers products at an affordable price starting from INR 750, compared to other brands like Rush by Kira, which charge between INR 1,200 to INR 5,000 apiece. He added that today, many brands still source designs from Pinterest, while Rizzzed focuses on ideation, design and manufacturing in-house with premium quality.

Recognizing that not everyone agrees with the game’s themes, the brand also incorporates relevant quotes into each design to create a connection with a wider audience. For example, one of the designs features the quote “Gamers don’t die, they respawn,” sparking curiosity about video game culture among non-gamers.

“By incorporating catchy phrases that resonate beyond gaming, we aim to make our products accessible to gamers and non-gamers alike,” explained the founder.

To engage non-gamers, the brand actively collaborates with influencers. It aims to connect with close to 100 influencers by the end of this financial year.

Additionally, the brand offers 240 GSM fabric at INR 770, while others like Bonkers and The Souled Store offer lower quality fabrics (180 to 220 GSM) at higher prices, the founder added.

Additionally, the founder pointed out that brands like Redwolf currently lack gaming-themed products. The founder plans to incorporate popular characters like Spiderman into his upcoming launches, setting Rizzzed’s offerings apart from those of his competitors. It will also launch designs inspired by mainstream games such as Ludo, Candy Crush and Road Rash.

Bhattacharjee has also set his sights on a winter collection for this season. The collection will be made from 100% recycled fabric. The brand is also launching a streetwear kurta. Additionally, the aim is to introduce loungewear inspired by the game by January 2025.

The founder’s long-term vision is to open a unique experiential store in Pune, measuring 1,200 sq ft, which will include a 100 sq ft clothing section and a gaming zone. This concept will allow customers to wear the T-shirts and participate in games, improving the overall shopping experience.

With a current Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) of INR 6 Lakh and a projection of INR 1-1.5 Cr for FY25, the founder is optimistic about achieving this goal.

The startup is also in discussions with several venture capitalists, including Fireside Ventures and Brand Capital, to secure funding. The founders are targeting a post-money valuation of INR 18 Cr to support their growth plans. So far, Rizzzed has received an investment of INR 20 Lakh from investors Meet Anil Khira and Virasat Swami.

Going forward, the main challenge the founder sees for the brand is the rapid shift towards fast fashion. With new brands emerging every day, it might become difficult for Rizzzed to maintain its position in the market and remain a go-to streetwear brand for GenZ or millennials, both gaming and non-gaming.

(Edited by Shishir Parasher)