Heelium is an athletic footwear and apparel start-up with primary focus on safety and sustainability. The company strives to push the sports equipment and technology development in India and create a brand deep-rooted in innovation that delivers high-quality products. The company is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad, and incubated at Venture Center, Pune.
Heelium has received National Entrepreneurship Award (NEA), organised by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), under A1 Category (Young Entrepreneurs with Initial Investment up to Rs. 1 Lakh) in Textile, textile articles, leather and related goods segment. Besides, in March 2018, Heelium won the Economic Times’ Power of Ideas award also.
Using a thorough research and development model, the company is working to create sportswear that’s simple yet effective in yielding a high performance. Its first product, Bamboo Athletic socks was a step in this direction. The bamboo fibres make the socks breathable and quick drying. Its flagship product is highperformance sports footwear that helps to curb the majority of movement related injuries. All its products are available for men, women and kids at all major ecommerce websites in the country today.
The company uses bamboo fibre supplied by Ahmedabad based Spinning King (India) Limited (Kashiwala Group of Companies) for making majority of its products. Spinning King is the sole supplier of the China based TANBOOCEL® – JIGAO Bamboo Fibre to the textile industry, particularly spinning mills in India. Bamboo fibre was invented and manufactured by HEBEI JIGAO Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd, with a registered TM of TANBOOCEL since 2002. Certified for its excellent spinning and garment properties, the bamboo fibre product is currently in use by many medium and large-sized textiles and garment enterprises in both domestic and overseas markets.
Today, Heelium offers various types of products made from TANBOOCEL® – JIGAO Bamboo fibre. Its Bamboo Socks comes in Ankle Length and Calf length, which are extremely comfortable, more breathable and durable than cotton socks. Bamboo gives the socks enhanced odour control. Bamboo has several advantages over cotton, being more breathable, durable and thermo-regulatory. The socks will also be anti-microbial which will resist the growth of odour causing bacteria and remain fresh for days. Bamboo is also a greener alternative. It uses no pesticides to grow unlike cotton and uses 3 times less water for cultivation. It also grows back from the same shoot after a harvest thereby preventing soil erosion on a grand scale.
Heelium Bamboo Sporting Socks has a cushioned base, better grip on the arch as well as on the achilles. It also has a larger knee hold that stops the stockings from slipping. They are available in three colours – White, Red and Blue and are suitable for football and hockey. Besides, the company also offers Diabetics socks, which are specially designed to decrease the risk of foot injuries, offer optimum blood flow and keeps the feet dry. These socks are also made of bamboo fibre, which is naturally anti-bacterial and resists the growth of bacteria and prevents foot infections.
Apart from this, it has Bamboo Sports & Bath Towel range, which also comes with anti-bacterial and odour control properties. The company has perfected the combination of softness and strength in a towel. Designed to be extra absorbent and fast drying, its super soft bamboo towels will be customers favourite. They come in two variations, Heelium Sports and Heelium Swim/Bath.
