Darshan Mehta would have scoffed at being called a legend.
But it is the word being used by the retail and fashion industry to describe the former managing director and chief executive officer of Reliance Brands Ltd. following his death Wednesday at age 64 from cardiac arrest.
Former colleagues praised his energy, vision and commitment to the growth of the retail industry in India, keeping in mind global standards, as well as the warmth of his friendships.
He is credited with growing Reliance Brands by bringing more than 50 global brands into the luxury and aspirational luxury sectors in India, including Valentino, Balenciaga, Canali, Tiffany & Co., Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta, Jimmy Choo, Burberry and Pottery Barn, among others, even venturing into the beauty space with a partnership with Sephora in 2023.
He often spoke about being the first employee of Reliance Brands, which he built into a powerhouse over more than 17 years. Over the last five years he also added a new dimension to the group by bringing in local designers including Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla (Abu Sandeep), Manish Malhotra, Rahul Mishra, Anamika Khanna, Abraham & Thakore, Raghavendra Rathore and Ritu Kumar, among others.
“At RBL, we have been driven by a strong conviction that every brand, whether it be Raghavendra Rathore, Ritu Kumar or a Giorgio Armani — each has its own beating heart, its own fashion vocabulary and its own cache of loyal customers, across geographies. At the same time, we constantly watch the evolution of consumers’ wardrobes. Over the last few years, we find that early adopters in India have becomes fashionistas in their own right. As part of this evolution, fashionwear crafted by Indian designers is finding increasing space in the wardrobes of these consumers,” Mehta told WWD when this shift in the business began.
In his personal life, he made time for trekking, running, reading extensively and keeping an open mind — always making time to join the dots, and think through the next venture, addition or retail opening.
“He shaped the industry. There were only a few luxury brands in India before RBL — today, India is in every international brand’s eye,” said Sunil Sethi, president of the Fashion Design Council of India.
“I was honestly really shocked,” said Renzo Rosso, OTB’s founder and president, about his business partner in India since 2010 when Diesel entered the market.
“He was one of a kind, truly remarkable.…We spent a lot of time together, from Delhi to Mumbai. He showed me what the cities were like 20 years ago. India back then…was a completely different world, and yet creatively, it had so much potential,” Rosso said. Since 2010, Marni and MM6 Maison Margiela, also under the OTB umbrella, were introduced in India in partnership with Reliance Brands.
“Honestly, I still can’t believe he’s gone,” said Rosso.
Rathore, an Indian designer who Mehta brought into the group, shared: “His legacy is not loud, but enduring — a quiet testament to what the thoughtful corporatization of the design community can truly achieve,” describing him as a person who “quietly redefined the landscape of Indian fashion.”
“With Darshan Mehta’s premature passing, we have lost a visionary — someone whose modern, holistic mind shaped ideas, spaces and relationships alike. Over nearly a decade, my brother Paolo and I came to know Darshan first as a valued business partner, and ultimately as a friend,” said Stefano Canali, president and CEO of Canali.
“He brought a cosmopolitan perspective to everything he touched — from brand strategy to the architectural design of Reliance Brands’ headquarters — always blending a global outlook with cultural depth. He approached partnerships with quiet strength and a long-term vision, always seeking to create value that was both enduring and mutual. His influence on India’s luxury landscape is lasting, but what we will miss most is his warmth, his intellect, and his quiet integrity,” Canali said.
In conversations with WWD over more than a decade, Mehta stayed consistent in his belief that the markets were only going to see growth.
“I have always shied away from articulating vision statements, it sounds like a sort of arrogance, a form of chest beating,” Mehta told WWD in 2015. “But if someone were to really ask me about where my corporate soul really lies, and where can I say ‘job well done,’ I would say we have scored very well both in strategic and financial terms, as a game changer for the people who work here.”
He said at the time that the markets in India were “pregnant with latent demand,” being more “supply side markets.”
“If I had the opportunity to open more stores right away, in more suburbs and cities than at present, there are ready customers who would flock to them. But the point is, with adjacencies being so critical in this business — who do you want to sit next to? How good is the visibility of the store? And are there enough malls opening? The real challenge is the supply of relevant retail real estate.”
That he found relevant retail real estate over the next decade was clear, including stores for the British toy retailer Hamley, which was acquired by the group.
“I think I am exceptionally lucky to be both left-brained and right-brained,” he told WWD another time. “I am an accountant by background, and so tend to think in square boxes, as left-brained people tend to think. And then, my last 15 years in the fashion industry has given me exposure to possibly some of the richest and the most talented people in the industry, which has opened many ways of thinking creatively before me.”
Mehta left his position at Reliance Brands in November 2024, moving into a mentorship role within the Reliance Group, focusing on guiding emerging leaders and exploring new business opportunities.
