From AJIO’s seven-fold growth and Shein’s rapid resurgence to Reliance Trends’ deep penetration into Bharat and a new manufacturing backbone spanning 21 apparel clusters, Reliance Retail is building a fashion ecosystem that few retailers globally can match in scale.
At the 49th Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), fashion emerged as one of the most compelling pillars of Reliance Retail’s growth story.
While the company’s overall retail business reported gross revenue of ₹3.7 lakh crore in FY26 and a profit after tax of ₹13,838 crore, one statistic stood out for the fashion industry: Reliance Retail’s Fashion & Lifestyle business sold an average of more than 8 lakh garments every day during the year.
The number offers a glimpse into the sheer scale of India’s largest fashion retailer—one that today spans mass fashion, premium apparel, luxury brands, beauty, jewellery, digital commerce and, increasingly, manufacturing.
A FASHION POWERHOUSE BUILT FOR EVERY INDIAN CONSUMER
Reliance Retail’s fashion strategy is unique in its breadth.
At the value end, the company continues to scale Reliance Trends, which remains the backbone of its fashion business. Powered by private labels such as Avaasa, DNMX, Teamspirit and Performax, Trends has expanded aggressively into Tier-II, Tier-III and rural India, bringing organized fashion to millions of first-time consumers.
To capture younger shoppers, Reliance has sharpened its segmentation strategy through Yousta, targeting Gen Z consumers in the sub-₹999 price segment, and Azorte, a premium fast-fashion format designed for digitally influenced urban consumers seeking trend-led merchandise and immersive store experiences.
Together, these formats are helping Reliance deepen its presence across multiple consumer cohorts while expanding fashion consumption beyond India’s metros.
AJIO’S EVOLUTION FROM MARKETPLACE TO FASHION DESTINATION
If Trends represents Reliance’s offline strength, AJIO has become the digital engine driving the next phase of growth.
According to Isha Ambani, AJIO has expanded its business seven-fold over the last five years, cementing its position among India’s largest fashion and lifestyle e-commerce platforms.
More importantly, the platform is becoming increasingly premiumized.
During FY26, AJIO recorded a 23% increase in average bill value and a 17% rise in average selling price, indicating stronger customer willingness to spend on higher-value products.
The platform’s active catalogue expanded by 22% year-on-year to over three million products, giving consumers one of the widest online fashion assortments in the country.
Reliance is also betting heavily on speed as a competitive differentiator. Through AJIO Rush, its four-hour delivery service, the company now offers rapid fashion fulfilment across more than 600 cities and towns, extending quick-commerce convenience beyond grocery into apparel and lifestyle products.
THE SHEIN EFFECT
One of the most closely watched developments in Indian fashion over the past year has been the return of Shein through Reliance Retail.
The partnership appears to be gaining significant traction.
Management revealed that the Shein app has crossed 11 million downloads in India and is adding approximately 1,000 new styles every day.
For Reliance, the collaboration addresses a crucial white space in the market: affordable global fast fashion for digitally native consumers.
At a time when fashion cycles are accelerating and trend responsiveness is becoming a competitive advantage, Shein’s design velocity and merchandising model provide Reliance access to a powerful fast-fashion engine that complements AJIO’s broader assortment strategy.
SCALING PREMIUM AND LUXURY FASHION
While value fashion continues to drive volume, Reliance is simultaneously strengthening its position in premium and luxury segments through Reliance Brands Ltd. (RBL).
Over the past year, the company expanded its global brand portfolio through partnerships with leading international labels including Stella McCartney, Kurt Geiger, Max & Co. and Fabletics.
These additions further reinforce Reliance Brands’ role as India’s dominant platform for bringing global fashion brands to Indian consumers.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in India’s fashion market, where affluent consumers are increasingly seeking global brands, premium experiences and differentiated product offerings.
The continued success of Marks & Spencer India, operated through its long-standing joint venture with Reliance, further demonstrates the growing depth of India’s premium apparel market.
BEAUTY, JEWELLERY AND HERITAGE RETAIL
Reliance’s fashion ambitions extend beyond apparel.
Its beauty platform Tira continues to evolve into a comprehensive omni-channel beauty ecosystem. During the year, the company expanded its wellness and Ayurveda portfolio through the launch of Puraveda and the integration of acquired wellness brand Pahadi Local.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jewels benefited from strong festive and wedding demand, expanding its network while leveraging digital channels to enhance customer engagement.
The company is also nurturing Swadesh, its artisanal retail platform that celebrates India’s craft heritage. Management indicated plans to scale Swadesh beyond experiential retail and build wider domestic and international demand for handcrafted Indian products and textiles.
THE NEXT BATTLEGROUND: MANUFACTURING
Perhaps the most strategically important fashion announcement from the AGM came not from retail but from manufacturing.
Mukesh Ambani outlined plans to build an advanced garment manufacturing ecosystem supported by supplier partnerships across 21 apparel manufacturing clusters in India.
The initiative represents a significant shift in Reliance’s fashion strategy—from primarily retailing apparel to increasingly controlling upstream production capabilities.
The objective is clear: create a resilient, high-quality and cost-efficient supply chain capable of supporting Reliance’s enormous fashion volumes while reducing exposure to global sourcing disruptions and inflationary pressures.
As fashion retail becomes increasingly dependent on speed, availability and pricing discipline, manufacturing integration could become a major competitive advantage.
BUILDING INDIA’S MOST COMPLETE FASHION ECOSYSTEM
What distinguishes Reliance Retail from most fashion retailers is not merely scale but ecosystem depth.
Few companies globally operate mass fashion chains, premium formats, luxury partnerships, beauty platforms, jewellery networks, digital marketplaces, quick-commerce capabilities and manufacturing ecosystems under one umbrella.
With over 8 lakh garments sold every day, AJIO scaling rapidly, Shein gaining momentum, luxury partnerships expanding and manufacturing investments taking shape, Reliance Retail is creating a fashion architecture that spans every price point, channel and consumer segment.
As India’s fashion market continues its march toward becoming one of the world’s largest consumption opportunities, Reliance appears determined not only to participate in that growth—but to shape it.
