Brands
PEPSI® DEBUTS ITS SWAG ON THE FASHION RUNWAY
Mumbai, October 8, 2019: The SWAG LEVEL of fashionistas across the country is all set to rise as beverage brand PEPSI® readies for its runway debut.
The iconic brand will mark its foray into the world of fashion through a collaboration with homegrown Ready To Wear (RTW) label HUEMN. The collection, which will be launched at FDCI’s upcoming LOTUS INDIA FASHION WEEK celebrates the SWAG of the new generation.
The PEPSI® x HUEMN fashion collection builds on the beverage brand’s philosophy that INTERESTING IS THE NEW COOL. Each piece, created by designer duo Pranav Misra and Shyma Shetty, will reimagine and personify the brand’s philosophy of SWAG. It comprises of statement ath-leisure in classic HUEMN style incorporating the soul of Pepsi®.
The iconic PEPSI-COLA® logo will find its way across the collection’s distinctive, vibrant pieces evoking a sense of nostalgia, while at the same time being rooted in popular culture. All denim fabric used in the collection is made using recycled plastic, in line with PepsiCo’s ‘Winning with Purpose’ vision which aims to build a world where plastics never become waste.
Speaking about the collection, Tarun Bhagat, Director-Marketing, Hydration and Cola, PepsiCo India, “PEPSI® is a brand which has always resonated with the voice of today’s generation. This new generation is armed with SWAG or an inherent confidence in their own abilities. They are not afraid to express themselves and are constantly on the lookout for ‘Interesting’ new ways of self-expression. Fashion has always been an important way of self-expression for Indian youth and our foray into the world of fashion is a step to celebrate this self-expression.
The Pepsi® x HUEMN COLLECTION reflects the cool attitude and SWAG of the youth. We are very excited to launch the collection at the upcoming India Fashion Week and are confident that it will find its way into the hearts and closets of India’s youth very soon.”
HUEMN’s co-founder Shyma Shetty said, “We are thrilled to be playing with the iconography of a legacy brand such as Pepsi®. The collection is an amalgamation of the ethos of both brands and an effort to bring both our audiences together, with an inclusive and fresh product line driven by both- popular culture and cutting edge fashion,”
HUEMN’s co-founder Pranav Misra said, ““The collection has a strong youthful appeal to a conscious customer as all denims in the line are made from recycled ocean plastics. There are handcrafted details and fun handcut applique but also lots of basics for every palate.”
He describes the collection as progressive and relevant and a line that will pave the way for more artistic collaborations between powerhouses to drive a fresh new aesthetic.
FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi said, “Pepsi as a brand has always had a focus on pop culture and this reflects in their new campaign ‘Har Ghoont Mein Swag’. It finds harmony with HUEMN, which as a brand boosts self-confidence using diversity in fashion as a vehicle of communication. This proverbial swag is evident in both Pepsi and HUEMN, as they embark on creating a line which embodies the spirit of living life to the fullest, the omnipresent mantra for GenZ,”
The collection is an extension of part of Pepsi’s 2019 ‘Har Ghoont Mein Swag’ campaign and will be unveiled at the Pepsi® x HUEMN runway show at FDCI’s Lotus India Fashion Week on 9th October.
Pepsi®’s ‘Har Ghoont Mein Swag’ campaign was launched earlier this summer and aims to celebrate the confidence and self-belief of the Indian youth. The campaign is all about living in the moment, seizing new, interesting opportunities and doing it all with SWAG. It is based on the idea that when the self-belief of India’s youth leads to self-confident action, every drop rises to the occasion, creating an ocean of youthful SWAG.
Brands
Google nears Nvidia in race for world’s most valuable company
Market cap gap narrows as Google hits $4.65 trillion, Nvidia at $4.86 trillion.
MUMBAI: In the AI gold rush, even the giants are sprinting and Google is suddenly gaining ground. Google is rapidly closing in on Nvidia in the race to become the world’s most valuable publicly listed company, with the gap between the two narrowing sharply amid diverging stock momentum. The tech giant’s market capitalisation has surged to around $4.65 trillion, following a more than 140 per cent rise in its share price over the past year.
That rally has added over $2.6 trillion in value in just 12 months, including nearly $900 billion since January alone. Its stock recently hovered at $381.80, slipping marginally by 0.04 per cent, but still reflecting strong upward momentum.
Nvidia, meanwhile, continues to hold the top spot with a valuation of approximately $4.86 trillion. The chipmaker crossed the $5 trillion milestone in October last year and peaked at $5.27 trillion on 27 April. However, its shares have largely plateaued over the past six months, rising just 0.2 per cent recently to $199.99.
The contrast in trajectories is striking. While Nvidia has seen relatively flat movement, Google has gained over 36 per cent in the same six-month period. Barron’s estimates suggest that if current trends hold, the valuation gap could shrink to as little as $190 million by the time Nvidia reports its first-quarter earnings on 20 May.
Daily momentum paints a similar picture. Nvidia recorded average daily gains of about 0.66 per cent last month, compared to Google’s stronger 1.42 per cent, an edge that could prove decisive in the short term.
Driving Google’s resurgence is its aggressive push into artificial intelligence across its ecosystem, from search and YouTube to cloud computing. The company has already invested $144 billion in capital expenditure over the past two years and plans to deploy a further $490 billion over the next two.
Its cloud division is also gathering pace. Google Cloud reported an order backlog of nearly $220 billion in the latest quarter, with total backlog touching a record $462 billion, around half of which is expected to be realised within two years. The company’s entry into chip sales is also beginning to factor into its growth narrative.
The last time Google briefly topped the S&P 500 by market value was in February 2016, when it edged past Apple for just two days. This time, the stakes and the numbers are far higher.
At the heart of the contest lies a single force: artificial intelligence. As both companies pour billions into infrastructure, chips and platforms, the leaderboard is no longer just about size, it is about who can scale the future faster.
