New Delhi: Vijaypat Singhania, who built the brand, Raymond Group, breathed his last on March 28, 2026 (Saturday). The industrialist died in Mumbai at age 87, occupied a rare space in the storied world of corporate chieftains. He was the chairman and managing director of Raymond since 1980. Following the economic liberalisation of 1991, the late industrialist the textile brand was able to withstand the pressures unlike many legacy brands.

Vijaypat Singhania: The visionary who built Raymond’s ‘Complete Man’ Empire

He successfully led Raymond brand into a large and trusted name and the tag line of the company ‘The Complete Man’, became very popular among the Indian households. After taking charge of the company in Singhania in 1980, he rapidly expanded the company’s business. Prior to his appointment at the helm of the firm, Singhania started venturing into new areas such as synthetic fabrics, denim, and engineering. Because of his vision, Raymond became a large and strong company.

RIP. Om Shanti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/nGtOGAEtHt

— Gautam Singhania (@SinghaniaGautam) March 28, 2026

In the 1990s, the ‘Complete Man’ campaign brought Raymond into every household. The late industrialist, was a aviation enthusiast and was described as a visionary who took risky manouvres beyond the boardrooms.

He was awarded with India’s third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan as well as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. In November 2005, Singhania at the age of 67, created a world record by ascending to approximately 69,000 feet in a hot air balloon. In 1988, he flew solo in a small aircraft from London to Ahmedabad, covering about 9,000 kilometers, creating a major record.

Under the leadership of Singhania, Raymond expanded into business of synthetic fabrics, denim, steel, industrial files, and cement.

In 2000, Singhania passed the baton of the Raymond Group to son Gautam Singhania. The late industrialist faced difficulties during the last years of his life. In 2015, he transferred a large stake of his Raymond company to his son Gautam Singhania. However, later, a dispute began between father and son, which lasted for a long time. The situation became so worse that the departed soul had to fight a legal battle for his own house, but the father-son duo reported to have settled the issues.