The Being Human Strategy
1. How Being Human started
The Being Human Foundation was established by Salman Khan in 2007, focusing mainly on healthcare and education.
The clothing business came later. The original idea was simple: sell merchandise and use the money generated through the brand to support charitable activities.
One of the earliest products was a simple Being Human T-shirt. The first batch was around 5,000 pieces, and it reportedly sold out quickly.
That showed Salman that there was commercial potential in the brand.
2. The key business strategy
Celebrity → Emotion → Product → Charity
Instead of simply putting Salman Khan’s face on clothing, Being Human connected the product to a larger emotional idea:
“Look good while doing good.”
Customers weren’t only buying a T-shirt.
They were buying:
- A fashion product
- A connection with Salman Khan
- A social message
- A feeling that their purchase contributed to a good cause
This gave the brand a differentiation that normal apparel brands didn’t have.
3. Salman Khan was the biggest marketing asset
Salman didn’t need to spend the same way a new clothing brand would have to spend on celebrity advertising.
He was the celebrity.
He regularly wore Being Human clothing at:
- Film events
- Television appearances
- Public events
- Photoshoots
- Promotional activities
This created continuous organic visibility.
The strategy was basically:
Salman wears it → millions see it → fans recognize it → fans want it → brand sells.
4. The partnership model
A major part of the business was the partnership with Mandhana Industries, which handled the commercial side of the clothing business.
The company was responsible for areas such as:
- Designing
- Manufacturing
- Marketing
- Retail
- Distribution
This was important because Salman didn’t have to build a complete fashion company from scratch.
Instead:
Salman / Being Human Foundation → Brand + social purpose + celebrity power
Commercial partner → Production + retail + distribution
This is a very scalable celebrity-brand model.
5. The royalty model
One of the most interesting parts of Being Human’s strategy was the royalty arrangement.
The foundation received a percentage of sales from products sold under the Being Human brand.
At different points, reported royalty arrangements varied; later reporting cited 5.75% of sales under the relevant agreement.
So the business could generate money for social initiatives without relying entirely on traditional donations.
The model:
Customer buys Being Human product
↓
Commercial company earns revenue
↓
Being Human Foundation receives royalty
↓
Money supports healthcare & education initiatives
This created a self-sustaining funding mechanism around the brand.
6. Product expansion
Being Human didn’t remain limited to basic T-shirts.
The brand expanded into:
- Men’s clothing
- Women’s clothing
- Kidswear
- Jeans
- Shirts
- Jackets
- Accessories
- Watches
- Footwear
- Other lifestyle products
This was important because the company could increase the average value of each customer rather than depending only on T-shirt sales.
7. India + International expansion
The brand gradually moved beyond India.
Being Human products were sold through:
- Exclusive stores
- Shop-in-shop formats
- Franchisees
- Distributors
- E-commerce
- International retail partners
At one stage, the brand had a presence across 15 countries and more than 600 points of sale.
West Asia became an important international market.
8. Revenue strategy
Being Human essentially created multiple revenue channels:
Retail
Exclusive Being Human stores.
Shop-in-shop
Products inside larger retail stores.
Franchise
Other operators invest in and operate stores.
Online
E-commerce and online marketplaces.
International licensing
Partners handle the brand in overseas markets.
This allowed the company to grow without having to own and operate every single store itself.
9. Revenue & profit
There are several historical numbers associated with the commercial companies behind Being Human, so it’s important not to confuse Being Human Foundation’s royalty income with the total sales of the clothing business.
A particularly useful historical benchmark is FY2016-17, when Mandhana Retail Ventures reported approximately:
₹216 crore revenue
and around
₹20 crore net profit
for the company operating the Being Human business.
Earlier, the brand had also been reported as generating around ₹108 crore in net sales in an earlier full year, showing how rapidly it had scaled.
These figures are historical, not current Being Human revenue figures.
10. Why the brand became powerful
The biggest strength was brand differentiation.
Imagine two T-shirts:
Normal T-shirt
Fashion → Buy → Wear
Being Human
Fashion → Salman Khan → Social purpose → Buy → Wear → Contribution to charity
That additional emotional layer helped the brand stand out.
11. The 5 biggest strategies
1. Celebrity ownership
Salman wasn’t just an ambassador; his identity was deeply connected with the brand.
2. Cause-based marketing
Charity wasn’t an advertising campaign. It was built into the brand’s business model.
3. Mass-market fashion
The company focused on products ordinary consumers could actually purchase.
4. Asset-light expansion
Franchises, shop-in-shops, distributors and partners helped expand the footprint.
5. Product diversification
Moving beyond T-shirts into women’s wear, kidswear and accessories increased the number of ways customers could spend with the brand.
The Being Human Business Formula
Salman Khan’s celebrity power
↓
Emotional connection
↓
Fashion products
↓
Social cause
↓
Royalty to foundation
↓
Retail + franchise + online + international expansion
↓
More customers
↓
More brand visibility + more funds for the cause