Superstar, entrepreneur, patriot and now a fashion wiz… Akshay Kumar seems to ace every role that he takes on. With what was a ‘dream in the making’ for quite a while now, his athleisure line finally saw the light of day this week. After an online drop on an e-commerce website, Akshay opened the first flagship store of Force IX on Wednesday. The brand is co-founded by Akshay and Maniish Mandhana, co-founder of Force IX’s parent company, 9 AM Ventures Private Limited.

As the Fashion Editor of PeepingMoon and a huge fan of the superstar, I decided to visit Force IX. Located in the fashion hub of Mumbai, this 1,800 feet store stands tall in the centre of Bandra’s Linking Road. 

The interiors take inspiration from military training boot camps. It has textured rubber flooring with convertible fixtures that can be adapted into a new design whenever needed. The rock climbing wall on the doors of the trial rooms is an ode to Akshay’s love for fitness.

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In spite of having a sturdy look, the place has its moments of chicness. The mural-painted wall adds a pop of colour to the brand’s mascot blue-hued store. The little antique pieces which are generally found at a military base add a touch of classiness along with dollops of patriotism.

And now coming to the clothing. A collection so good, I ended up buying tees and joggers myself! Designed by Karan Berry and Akshay himself, the brand boasts of genderless collection that has something for everyone. In fact, as mentioned by the staff, the actor’s wife, Twinkle Khanna, too has been spotted wearing some pieces previously donned by the actor.

The collection includes a variety of T-shirts, shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, polo T-shirts, denim, chinos, joggers, shorts, and nightwear. On the accessories front, so far the store has a wide range of caps in place while belts, travel accessories, shoes, and watches will soon be available in due course. Every piece of the collection has been tried and tested by the actor personally so that patrons can have the same luxury and of course, the value for their money.

As for the price range, the products are placed in a decent bracket being affordable for those who wish to invest in good athleisure wear. Also, for every garment you shop, Rs.9 goes to ‘Bharat Ke Veer’, a national fund for martyrs of the armed and paramilitary forces set up by Akshay. A shout out to the Force IX staff proud to man this store: they are well-informed about and aware of the products and genuinely helpful as well and that makes for a happy shopping experience. To sum it up, the flagship store of Force IX ticks all the right boxes and we just cannot wait to see what the Khiladi does with it next.