KOLKATA: Shoe major Bata India has joined hands with global lifestyle brand Nine West, adding another brand to its portfolio at a time when it seeks to breathe fresh life into operations. In a stock exchange filing, Bata announced the licencing and manufacturing deal for Nine West with Authentic Brands Group. Authentic Brands is a global brand development, marketing, and entertainment platform, with a portfolio of over 40 brands including David Beckham, Reebok, Barneys New York, Ted Baker and Forever 21, to name a few. Bata has global tie-ups with Hush Puppies, Scholl, Disney, Marie Claire, amid speculations of a partnership with Adidas. This was fuelled by the fact that Bata India is now giving a disproportionate thrust on sneakers for growth in the Indian market, which is following the global trend of casualisation.