Brands
D2C performance wear brand ENGN appoints Esha Deol as brand ambassador
Mumbai: Varanium Lifestyle’s D2C performance wear brand ENGN on Tuesday signed Esha Deol as brand ambassador. The brand has rolled out a year-long campaign #OwnYourGame featuring the actress.
The campaign is live on Instagram and Facebook. Esha, who is known for narrating a variety of characters through her filmography, will be seen in an athletic avatar donning ENGN apparel.
Esha, who is a qualified classical dancer, a leading actor, is also an avid sportsperson. In her growing up years, she played as a centre-forward and was the captain of her school football team. She then qualified for the Indian national women’s football team as well. Not only that, but Esha was also a state-level handball player and thus, sports & athletics are second nature to her.
Speaking about her association with ENGN, Esha Deol said, “For as long as I remember, sports have been an integral part of my life. My wardrobe is dominated by activewear. It was, therefore, serendipitous that ENGN and I came together. It’s a young, energetic Indian brand and I love its collections. I have been living in them whether it’s kickboxing, gym, or martial arts. Also, they are backing some amazing Indian female athletes which I am so proud about. As an artist and a former athlete, I immediately connected with #OwnYourGame. For me, it implies owning your turf – whether it’s the sport overall, the game on the field, your health or your life, at a larger level. The synergy between ENGN and me was instantaneous.”
ENGN currently represents female athletes including Indian cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy, Olympian swimmer Maana Patel, International track athlete Nithyashree Ananda, National level long jumper Shivani Soam, AIR 1, world rank 65, International Taekwondo athlete Anisha Aswal and International speedskater Anoli Shah.
ENGN CMO and COO Megha Desai said, “Performance and Purpose are the two pillars on which we built ENGN. Indian sportswomen even today, are heavily under-represented and we knew we wanted to support and back them a hundred per cent. Along with this, we also saw a huge gap in high-quality performance wear that’s also affordable. Thus, our product range is engineered by our athletes to ensure top-notch quality and made accessible for women across markets. Esha, for us, is the perfect combination of someone who comes from a sporting background herself and is a household name. She has aced every role in reel and real life. Her commitment to our collaboration is inspiring not just for our team but our athletes too.”
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
