Arvind Mills is now Arvind Ltd

Identity change is what rings in the ear this year. Godrej, Ceat, Shopper’s Stop – all have undergone a change in identity. And now, there’s a new member in the club – Arvind Mills, which has rebranded itself as Arvind Ltd.

Arvind Ltd is the flagship company of the Lalbhai Group and one of India’s largest integrated textile manufacturers and branded apparel retailers. The rebranding exercise comes in the wake of Arvind Ltd transforming itself from a pure fabric and apparel solutions company to a strong diversified business group focusing on branded apparel and apparel retail.

Initially, the company’s logo had ‘Arvind’ written in cursive in red, slanting from left to right. Seven years ago, with everything else constant, the logo was changed to slant from right to left. In all, since Arvind Mills was set up in 1931, this is the first extensive rebranding exercise it has taken up.

Ray+Keshavan has worked with the company on its corporate brand strategy, vision, values and in designing its new brand identity. All the sub-brands under Arvind will now sport the new logo. Sujata Keshavan, managing director, Ray+Keshavan, says, “The new logo is a unique wordmark, as it is simply typographic in nature; the previous logo, too, was a wordmark. The rich burgundy red has been used to retain the Indianness of the brand.”

Sharp, but well rounded, the forms of the logotype represent an organisation that is integrated and works across the value chain from stylish fabrics to iconic brands. With an element of classicism and a sense of gravitas, the logo symbolises an organisation that has a rich heritage, while remaining contemporary through changing times. The burgundy red denotes maturity, its rich tones carrying a sense of depth and more than a hint of passion.

Keshavan reveals that no particular font has been used for the logo – it is hand drawn and, therefore, an exclusively crafted logo. The mix of upper and lower case letters is deliberate: The upper case letters denote stability, while the lower case letters stand for warmth, approachability and friendliness.

Keshavan also says that the new logo is intended to last Arvind Ltd for 20-30 years, so it had to be crafted in a modern and state of the art manner.

Highlighting the significance of the change in identity, Sanjay Lalbhai, chairman and managing director, Arvind Ltd, says, “Over eight decades, we have changed the face of fashion by evolving constantly. As we get ready to address wider opportunities to create wealth for our stakeholders, we have evolved new ways of thinking and a new direction. The new identity reflects the shift in the corporate identity from a large integrated textile player to a lifestyle solutions company and the name of the company reflects the same trust but new opportunities.”

Arvind Ltd has licensing relationships with international brands such as Arrow, Gant, Cherokee, USPA, Hart Schaffner Marx, Sansabelt, Pierre Cardin and a joint venture with VF Corporation, which covers Lee, Wrangler, Jansport, Nautica, Kipling and Tommy Hilfiger.

In addition, Arvind owns a number of successful Indian brands such as Flying Machine, Newport, Excalibur and Ruf and Tuf. It also owns the retail chain, Megamart, which has 83 outlets in 30 towns. Recently, Arvind Ltd opened a 40,000 square foot Megamart outlet in Chennai.