Diesel is an Italian denim label, founded in 1978, that sells jeans, knitwear, watches, bags and footwear in India through its own website and the large marketplaces. It sits near the top of the imported apparel shelf: across 100 listings read on Myntra on 15 September 2026, the median MRP was ₹20,990.
An Indian joint venture with Reliance runs the brand’s own Indian site, and on the marketplace listings read, the seller of record was a separate marketplace seller.
Diesel belongs to Diesel S.p.A., controlled by Italy’s OTB group. In India, Diesel Fashion India Reliance Private Limited, incorporated in 2007 and described by a tax tribunal in 2022 as a joint venture with Reliance Brands, runs dieselindia.com. Of 100 Myntra listings read on 15 September 2026, 97 carried a reduction, with selling prices at 48.4% of MRP.
Snapshot
- Founded
- 1978, Molvena, Veneto, Italy
- Founder
- Renzo Rosso, with Adriano Goldschmied on secondary accounts
- Headquarters
- Via dell’Industria 4-6, Breganze, Vicenza, Italy
- Brand owner
- Diesel S.p.A., controlled by OTB S.p.A.; no shareholding percentage published
- India entity
- Diesel Fashion India Reliance Private Limited, CIN U18101MH2007PTC283150, incorporated 30 May 2007
- In India since
- 2007 on the register; a joint venture with Reliance Brands on a 5% franchise royalty, as a tribunal described it in 2022
- India revenue
- ₹75.9 crore for the year to 31 March 2024 on one register mirror; ₹74.13 crore for the following year on another
- Category
- Apparel, with watches, jewellery, bags and footwear alongside
- Price band in India
- Luxury — median listed MRP ₹20,990 across 100 listings, read 15 September 2026
- Available in India
- dieselindia.com, Diesel stores, and the large marketplaces
Who owns Diesel, and who sells it to you here
The brand belongs to Diesel S.p.A. of Breganze, in the Veneto. Its own corporate information page says so in one line: Diesel S.p.A. is “Brand owner of the Diesel Group and controlled by OTB S.p.A.”
OTB is the Italian group Renzo Rosso built. Its governance page names Rosso as founder and chairman, Ubaldo Minelli as chief executive since January 2018, and Red Circle Investments as Rosso’s private investment company. OTB holds eight brands, Diesel among them, with Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor&Rolf, Amiri, Staff International and Brave Kid.
- Renzo RossoFounder and chairman of OTB; Red Circle is his investment company
- OTB S.p.A.Breganze; holds Diesel and seven other brands
- Diesel S.p.A.Brand owner, controlled by OTB, on Diesel’s own wording
- Diesel Fashion India Reliance Private LimitedMumbai, incorporated 30 May 2007
No shareholding percentage is published at any step of that chain — not for OTB, and not for the Indian company.
The Indian company, and what the record says about it
Diesel Fashion India Reliance Private Limited carries both parties in its own name. Incorporated on 30 May 2007 with the Mumbai registrar, it holds paid-up capital of ₹123.5 crore, and is registered at Maker Tower E, Cuffe Parade — the same Mumbai address its Indian site gives for grievances.
The clearest description of the arrangement comes from a decided tribunal order. On 4 March 2022 the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in Mumbai called the company a joint venture between Diesel SpA of Italy and Reliance Brands Limited, selling Diesel apparel and accessories through wholesale and retail channels, and paying its parent a 5% royalty under a franchise agreement for the trademark and technical know-how.
Trade press reported the venture as agreed on 14 October 2008, sixteen months after that incorporation. No shareholding split is published in any document read for this page.
- 30 May 2007Company incorporated with the Mumbai registrar
- 14 October 2008Trade press reports a joint venture agreed with Reliance Brands
- 4 March 2022Tribunal describes a joint venture paying a 5% franchise royalty
- 15 September 2026The Indian site carries the company’s name and a Reliance grievance contact
As at 15 September 2026, the venture’s name was on Diesel’s own Indian shop.
The copyright line on dieselindia.com reads “Diesel Fashion India Reliance Pvt.Ltd”, and the site’s terms give a grievance officer contact at a ril.com email address and the same Cuffe Parade office. Read on 15 September 2026, both point to Reliance’s continued involvement.
What the Indian company earns
| Year to 31 March | Revenue | Net profit |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ₹48.6 crore | ₹6.5 crore loss |
| 2021 | ₹34.2 crore | ₹3.1 crore loss |
| 2022 | ₹53.7 crore | ₹3.7 crore |
| 2023 | ₹68.8 crore | ₹17.6 crore |
| 2024 | ₹75.9 crore | ₹1.1 crore loss |
Those five years come from one corporate-data aggregator; a second gives ₹74.13 crore for the year to 31 March 2025. Both are third-party summaries rather than the filed financial statements, and their bases may differ.
What Diesel costs in India
On 15 September 2026, 100 Diesel listings were read on Myntra, where the brand’s facet carries 1,028 items — 28 jeans in the hundred, 24 sweaters, 15 watches.
- Median listed MRP
- ₹20,990
- Share of MRP actually charged
- 48.4%
- Listings reduced
- 97 of 100
- Checked on
- 15 September 2026
That is the deepest reduction among the brands this site has priced. The next on the same day was Tommy Hilfiger at 62.0%; the far end of the shelf was Ralph Lauren at 93.2%, with 24 listings reduced.
Behind the headline sit 41 distinct MRPs across 17 discount rungs — a finely graded ladder, not one flat sale.
What the company has said about its prices
We found no published statement on pricing or discounting — not on dieselindia.com, not on Diesel’s terms and corporate pages, not on OTB’s group, market and governance pages. The only pricing language published anywhere read is transactional: Diesel’s terms say the price and shipping shown on the order form are charged on shipment, and that displayed prices include all taxes and fees.
This page reports the prices and does not speculate on the reasons.
Does duty explain the number?
No, and the two facts should not be joined. All 40 declarations read were imports, so customs duty is in play on Diesel’s Indian cost base. Basic customs duty on the covered textile lines was doubled from 10% to 20% by Notification No. 58/2018-Customs dated 7 August 2018, amending Notification No. 82/2017-Customs dated 27 October 2017 across 328 tariff lines.
But duty is charged on the landed transfer value, not the shelf price, so 20% of a wholesale cost adds far less than 20% to an MRP — an Indian price is a margin decision far more than a tax one. And duty raises a floor; it says nothing about the distance between a tag and the price charged. Compare Levi’s, which declared India as its country of origin on 37 of 40 records.
Who is answerable for the garment
Every product sold in India carries a Legal Metrology declaration: MRP inclusive of taxes, country of origin, and the manufacturer, packer or importer. It names who is answerable for the goods, not who stitched them.
Across 40 Diesel records read on 15 September 2026, the seller of record on all 40 was the same marketplace seller, a Delhi-registered importer. Diesel does not publish a list of authorised Indian sellers.
On 38 of the 40 records the manufacturer line read “Via dell’Industria, 4-6, 36042 Breganze VI, Italy”, which is Diesel S.p.A.’s registered office as given in the brand’s terms.
Net quantity was declared on all 40, and so was origin: Tunisia on 20, then China on 5, Romania on 4, Italy on 3 and Bulgaria on 2, with Albania, Mauritius and Turkey behind them. Not one record declared India. For comparison, on Lacoste listings read the same day, the brand’s Indian licensee was seller of record on 39 of 40.
The one check Diesel does publish
Here Diesel does better than almost every name beside it: its authenticity page sets out a method a buyer can run.
All jeans from the Spring/Summer 2017 collection onwards, and all other Diesel products from Autumn/Winter 2021 onwards, carry what the brand calls a special label with a QR code and a 12-digit numerical code forming a digital identity for the product. Shoes get an NFC tag instead. A buyer scans the QR code, taps the tag, or types the code at certilogo.com. Diesel also publishes brandprotection@diesel.com for reporting a suspected copy — a “first copy” in the Indian phrase.
Diesel’s authenticity check is printed on the garment itself: a QR code and a 12-digit number, checkable at certilogo.com.
The authenticity page sits on Diesel’s UK site. Nothing on dieselindia.com — not its terms, help pages, warranty policy, about page or published question list — mentions authentication, a code, a QR label or Certilogo, so Indian buyers can follow the method on the UK page.
Diesel’s published advice is to buy “through our website or from our authorized stores and distributors”; we found no published list of authorised Indian retailers, distributors or marketplace sellers.
Diesel’s Indian site runs a store locator, but no India store count, in any year, could be established for this page. OTB’s figures are global and undated — judge the footprint by the shop in front of you.
What Diesel claims about its materials
Little, in specific terms. The responsible-living page on dieselindia.com makes four commitments: seeking out low impact materials and innovative techniques, reducing its water footprint, improving reuse and recycling rates, and minimising greenhouse gas emissions.
Not one fibre is named — no percentage, no standard, no certification body. Diesel’s global For Responsible Living page names three initiatives — Diesel Rehab Denim, DIESEL♥VES and Second Hand — and makes no organic cotton, recycled polyester, GOTS, GRS, OEKO-TEX or Better Cotton claim either, and names no mill.
The pages read publish no test or certification behind these commitments, so they read as stated intentions rather than measured targets.
Buying Diesel in India
Diesel’s own channel is dieselindia.com and its stores. Everything else on an Indian screen is a marketplace listing.
Scan the code on the label
Jeans from Spring/Summer 2017 and other products from Autumn/Winter 2021 carry a QR code and a 12-digit number. Shoes carry an NFC tag. Check them at certilogo.com.
Turn the box over
It carries MRP, origin and the manufacturer or importer. On the records read here, that line gave Diesel’s Breganze, Italy address.
Read the seller name, not the brand name
On all 40 marketplace records read, the seller of record was a marketplace seller rather than Diesel’s Indian company. The channels Diesel itself names are its own site and stores.
Compare the same style in both places
Ninety-seven of a hundred listings carried a reduction, so put the marketplace price beside the Indian site’s before you pay.
Keep the receipt for anything with a movement
The Indian warranty runs two years on watches, one on wearables and jewellery, and needs proof of purchase. It says nothing about goods bought from a marketplace.
Reputation, and what has actually been decided
Two matters involving the Indian company have been decided, and both went the company’s way.
The first is the transfer-pricing appeal already quoted. On 4 March 2022 the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in Mumbai ruled on assessment years 2012-13 and 2013-14: the arm’s-length rate for the 5% franchise royalty, ₹14,00,761 of design fees, and the method for benchmarking the company’s purchases. Excluding comparable agreements with guaranteed-minimum-royalty clauses that Diesel’s agreement did not have, the arm’s-length royalty worked out at 5.25% — above the 5% paid. The royalty and design-fee adjustments were deleted and the department’s appeals dismissed, in a final order with no appeal noted.
The second is older. On 24 September 2013 the customs tribunal in Mumbai decided whether franchise fees should be loaded onto the declared value of garments imported from the related Italian parent. It turned on a procedural point: the reviewing order came outside the three-month statutory window, so the order below was set aside as unsustainable in law and the appeal allowed — again a final order, with no appeal noted.
Who Diesel is actually for
Diesel suits a buyer who wants Italian-designed denim with a recognisable cut and will shop on the brand’s own channel to get it. That channel is where the accountability sits: dieselindia.com is run by a company on the Indian register since 2007, with a named grievance officer and Mumbai jurisdiction. For a ₹10,000 pair of jeans, that beats most of this shelf.
On a marketplace, read the seller line: on the records read, the seller of record was a marketplace seller rather than Diesel’s Indian company. And compare selling prices rather than tags: on 15 September 2026 listings sold at 48.4% of MRP against a ₹20,990 median tag.
Common questions
Who owns Diesel?
Diesel S.p.A. of Breganze, Italy, which its own corporate page says is controlled by OTB S.p.A. OTB was built by Renzo Rosso, who is its founder and chairman, and also holds Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor&Rolf, Amiri, Staff International and Brave Kid. No shareholding percentage for OTB is published.
Who sells Diesel in India?
Diesel Fashion India Reliance Private Limited, incorporated on 30 May 2007, which a tribunal described in 2022 as a joint venture between Diesel SpA and Reliance Brands on a 5% franchise royalty. It runs dieselindia.com. On the marketplace records read on 15 September 2026, the seller of record on all 40 was a marketplace seller rather than this company.
Is Diesel made in India?
No. Of 40 Indian listings read on 15 September 2026, none declared India as the country of origin. Tunisia was declared on 20, with China, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, Mauritius and Turkey behind it. Origin varies by style, so read the declaration on the box.
Why is Diesel discounted so heavily in India?
Across 100 listings read on 15 September 2026, 97 carried a reduction and selling prices came to 48.4% of MRP, the deepest among the brands this site has priced. No published statement on pricing or discounting was found on any Diesel or OTB page, so this page reports the reading and does not explain it.
How do I check whether my Diesel jeans are genuine?
Jeans from Spring/Summer 2017 onwards, and other products from Autumn/Winter 2021 onwards, carry a QR code and a 12-digit number you can check at certilogo.com; shoes carry an NFC tag instead. Diesel publishes that method on its UK site; we did not find it on dieselindia.com.
Is Diesel a luxury brand in India?
On price, yes. A median listed MRP of ₹20,990 puts it in the luxury band on this site’s apparel scale, well above Tommy Hilfiger or Levi’s. The price charged on the day read was 48.4% of that, which is a different number from the one on the tag.
How we research and verify brand audits: our methodology.
References
- Diesel, Corporate information, read 15 September 2026 — Diesel S.p.A. as brand owner, controlled by OTB S.p.A.
- OTB, Governance, read 15 September 2026 — Renzo Rosso as founder and chairman, Ubaldo Minelli as chief executive, Red Circle Investments, and the absence of any shareholding percentage
- OTB, Brands, read 15 September 2026 — the eight brands the group holds
- Register mirror for Diesel Fashion India Reliance Private Limited, read 15 September 2026 — CIN, incorporation on 30 May 2007, registered office and paid-up capital
- Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Mumbai, order of 4 March 2022 — the joint venture description, the 5% franchise royalty, the 5.25% arm’s-length rate and the dismissal of the department’s appeals
- Just Style, 14 October 2008 — the joint venture with Reliance Brands reported as agreed
- Register mirror, read 15 September 2026 — the subsidiary description, revenue of ₹74.13 crore down 3%, and about 72 employees
- dieselindia.com, Terms and conditions, read 15 September 2026 — the grievance officer, the ril.com address, the Cuffe Parade office and Mumbai jurisdiction
- Register mirror, read 15 September 2026 — revenue and net profit for the years to March 2020 through March 2024
- Diesel, Terms and conditions, read 15 September 2026 — the Breganze registered office, tax code, share capital, and the transactional pricing wording
- Lok Sabha, papers laid on the table, 7 August 2018 — Notification No. 58/2018-Customs raising duty on 328 textile tariff lines from 10% to 20%
- Customs tribunal, Kolkata, order of 28 July 2026 — Notification No. 82/2017-Customs dated 27 October 2017
- Diesel, Check authenticity, read 15 September 2026 — the QR and 12-digit code from SS2017 and AW2021, the NFC tag for shoes, certilogo.com, the reporting address and the authorised-channel wording
- dieselindia.com, Warranty policy, read 15 September 2026 — two-year watch cover, one year on wearables and jewellery, and the proof-of-purchase requirement
- dieselindia.com, Responsible living, read 15 September 2026 — the four commitments, with no material, standard or certification named
- Diesel, For Responsible Living, read 15 September 2026 — the three named initiatives and the absence of any material or certification claim
- Customs tribunal, Mumbai, order of 24 September 2013 — the related-party valuation appeal allowed on the three-month point
- OTB, Diesel, read 15 September 2026 — founding in 1978 at Molvena, the undated global points-of-sale and mono-brand store figures
- dieselindia.com, Locate us, read 15 September 2026 — the store locator, which publishes no India store count
Diesel’s own Indian channel is well documented: a joint venture with Reliance Brands, on the register since 2007, runs dieselindia.com and puts its name and a Mumbai grievance address on the site. The marketplace listings read were sold by a separate seller, so the seller line is worth reading before you pay.
The price is the other half. At 48.4% of MRP with 97 of 100 listings reduced, this is the deepest discounting this site has read, on a median tag of ₹20,990. The authentication is a genuine credit: a QR code and a 12-digit number on the garment, checkable at certilogo.com, which is more than its neighbours offer, though the instructions sit on the UK site rather than the Indian one.
Buy it from Diesel’s own channel, scan the code on the label, and read the ₹20,990 tag as a starting position, not a price.
