The man who dressed India's luxe ambitions

Darshan Mehta, the man behind building Reliance Brands—the company under Reliance Industries that houses its luxury brands in the country—passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack.

- SHARLEEN D'SOUZA

Mehta, who was a consistent mid-distance runner and an avid Himalayan trekker, is known for bringing some of the biggest names in global retail to the Indian market, including Valentino, Balenciaga, Tiffany & Co, Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, and Pottery Barn, among others.

Apart from introducing several well-known international brands to the Indian market, the company also invested in many Indian designers, including Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla (Abu Sandeep), Manish Malhotra, Rahul Mishra, Anamika Khanna, and Abraham & Thakore, among others.