When fashion’s fickleness put paid to Arvind’s denim dreams
Moon River in denim pedal pushers and a terry cloth turban in the 1962 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she sparked not only a fashion revolution—she helped ignite an economic phenomenon. By the 1980s, denim had become a symbol of youth and minimalist style. Read this | When street fighter Manu Chhabria laid siege to Shaw Wallace Lalbhai recognized the potential for India, a country with a rich textile history but hampered by outdated machinery and processes, to make a mark in the global denim market.
In 1985, he launched Renovision, a strategic plan to put Arvind on the global map of denim manufacturing. It was a monumental gamble, one that would eventually consume the company, but it was in tune with an India on the cusp of economic liberalization. With global demand for denim soaring, Arvind’s focus on serving international markets proved to be a prescient move.
In 1986, Lalbhai established Arvind’s—and India’s—first denim manufacturing plant on Naroda Road in Ahmedabad. A charismatic leader, he assembled a top-tier team from some of India’s leading companies, including Hindustan Unilever, enticing them to sleepy Ahmedabad with the promise of being part of an industrial revolution. Arvind’s plants were global in scale and world-class in quality.
It wasn’t long before international brands like VF Corp. USA and Cluett Peabody & Co came knocking, seeking manufacturing and marketing tie-ups. By the mid-1990s, with a production capacity of 120 million metres, Arvind had become the world’s third-largest denim manufacturer, trailing only American giants Cone and Burlington.
Read more on livemint.com
