Arvind is exploring the possibility of reviving Ruf & Tuf, its iconic denim brand that became popular in the 1990s, even as the Gujarat-based textile manufacturer looks to capitalise on renewed momentum in its denim business.
The company, which owns the brand but has kept it dormant for several years, is evaluating just-in-time manufacturing capabilities that could potentially pave the way for its revival, vice-chairman Punit Lalbhai said. However, there are no immediate plans to take the brand directly to consumers through a business-to-consumer (B2C) play. “Ruf & Tuf, yes we own that brand. It’s been lying dormant for multiple years. We are working on some interesting just-in-time manufacturing capabilities which are in early stages. So maybe it might get revived in the future,” Lalbhai said.
“That option is always available to us and we will keep exploring it. It is a brand which is very dear. It created a lot of excitement when we launched it in the mid-90s and there is still brand recall for it,” he told investors recently. The potential brand revival comes as Arvind’s core denim business continues to gather momentum. Denim volumes rose to 18.1 million metres in Q2 FY27 from 15.2 million metres a year earlier, registering 19 per cent growth. This was also higher than the 17.5 million metres recorded in the preceding quarter. The growth was driven by robust demand, higher verticalisation and improved realisations. Denim fabric realisation increased 12 per cent year-on-year to ₹266 per metre in Q2, reflecting the company’s efforts to move towards higher-value products.
For Arvind, the bigger task is to ensure that the growth is sustainable and that denim does not slip back into the commodity-led, cyclical business it once was. “Denim used to be a cyclical business, especially when we had much larger capacities and were indexed on more commoditised type of business. Heavy investment in design, innovation — we have completely overhauled our product capabilities,” Lalbhai said.
The company is increasingly focusing on differentiated products, design and innovation to strengthen its position with global customers. The manufacturing footprint is also being diversified. Arvind has partnered with a garment manufacturer in Bangladesh to expand its garment conversion capabilities, while its first denim deliveries from Egypt were expected in Q3 FY27. “Having this multi-country, fully vertical delivery with top-end innovation, design and customer centricity is actually driving the sustainability of this strong denim performance,” Lalbhai said.
The company expects denim to remain an important growth driver in the second half of FY27, with a greater share of higher-FOB products expected to lift turnover faster than volumes. “The second half of the year is heavily indexed towards denim sales. So the product mix is going towards higher FOB, so that will also drive the growth,” Lalbhai said.
Arvind has an annual in-house denim manufacturing capacity of around 70 million metres and is approaching full utilisation. It is undertaking debottlenecking investments and exploring asset-light manufacturing arrangements to create additional headroom, while brownfield capacity expansion is expected to support further growth. The company’s product strategy is also evolving towards categories where vertical integration can provide a greater competitive advantage. Denim jeans are expected to be the fastest-growing category initially, followed by essentials and knits, while shirts are likely to grow relatively slower.
“The denim jeans will see the fastest growth initially because that is where most of our focus is right now. It is one of our profitable and strategically important capacities that has the potential to drive fabric volumes as well,” Lalbhai said.
Published on November 3, 2026
