Only Vimal brand fades into memory

It’s an old story of an Indian businessman. Sensing a good opportunity in the textile business in India, the businessman started the first textile mill at Naroda, in Ahmedabad in the year 1966. Textiles were manufactured using polyester fiber yarn. The businessman gave the name “Vimal” to these Textile products. This name was named after his elder brother’s son, Vimal. Soon, his management tricks and extensive marketing of the brand “Vimal” in the interiors of India made it a household name. Franchise retail outlets were started and they used to sell “only Vimal” brand of textiles. And now after 45 years, this brand is all set to have been put on the block by the businessman’s elder son. I think, you can now guess.

I am talking about Dhirubhai Ambani, the man who started Vimal and made it household name in India during 80s and 90s. His son, Mukesh Ambai has hired private investment banking firm NM Rothschild as advisers to sell off this ‘Vimal’ brand. The reason is simple. The textile business has generated a miniscule Rs. 2,000 crore of the company’s total turnover of Rs. 4,37,331 crore a year. The experts are saying, there is no relevance of textile business as it is not contributing to the company’s bottomline, it is business that was dragged on for years for sentiments and today ‘Only Vimal’ is no more an iconic brand but a ‘tired brand’ that the company should have done away with long time back.

Its official website says ::

VIMAL is an iconic brand for the past few decades, and is known as much for its product quality as for its innovative advertising. At core, the brand VIMAL stood for ‘fashion for the young trendsetter’.

In keeping with today’s youth and his expectations, the new brand VIMAL will be tuned to his needs and aspirations. It seeks to fulfill his requirements of fashion, styling and grooming in a relevant and modern way. The new VIMAL is perceived to be Trendy, Young and Contemporary and Charged/Energetic

The Frank Simoes coined the catchline ‘Only Vimal’ in the late seventies. Then the Indian ad company called Mudra took the brand to the next level as an upmarket clothing brand for Indians. Mudra used models from Kabir Bedi to Blitz editor R K Karanjia for the Vimal brand.

Only Vimal, the iconic brand with my generation grew up, watching its ads in between old Doordarshan serials, will soon become the part of history. Anyway, let’s see some of the old only Vimal ads ::

See some old Vimal Doordarshan Ads ::

Vimal Saree Ad ::

Vimal Dressing up new India Ad ::