A world-class Indian bowler, a well revered English band, and a homegrown sustainable travel gear brand – a crossover no one saw coming.

As crowds flooded DY Patil Stadium, anticipation and excitement pumping through the air, everyone was prepared for an experience of a lifetime. What no one was prepared for, though, was when the lead singer of Coldplay- Chris Martin paused the concert to give a well- deserved shoutout to top Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Chris took it up a notch by cheekily playing clips where Bumrah absolutely destroyed the English cricket team.

Hearing Chris sing Bumrah’s praises, sent the crowd into a frenzy. He was respectful, witty and charming as he spoke about Bumrah, and Bumrah responded with the same warmth and gratitude through an Instagram post. But how does a travel gear brand fit into this equation?

Well, Bumrah is the official ambassador of India’s first sustainable travel gear brand – uppercase – whose bags are chic, stylish and of course, planet friendly. Ahead of the second leg of Coldplay’s India tour in Ahmedabad, which happens to be Bumrah’s birthplace, uppercase figured it was time to shower some (more) love on Colplday. But and here’s where it gets interesting, as a little note from Bumrah himself.

With a picture of Bumrah flaunting a stylish uppercase backpack on a hoarding close to Narendra Modi stadium, was a warm message from the man himself welcoming Chris and the band to his “home ground”, with a subtle nod to one of their most famous songs. How brilliant is that!

This is just one of the many smart, relevant marketing tactics that the homegrown travel gear band had deployed. uppercase was born three years ago to add a dash of colour and chic designs into an otherwise monochromatic category. Apart from all the great things they are doing for the planet, uppercase has managed to become the first Indian luggage brand that walk the ramp at New York Fashion Week this February. And for them, this is only one of many, many milestones.