Dubai mourns Vasu Shroff, Indian expat who came by boat and built textile empire

On Sunday, UAE lost one of its finest entrepreneurs who was widely credited with playing a crucial role in shaping modern Dubai. Fondly called the ‘textile king’, Vasu Shroff died at the age of 85 of natural causes.

Priya Kumar, who authored Shroff’s biography A Regal Man: The Life and Lessons of Vasu Shroff, described working with him as a transformative experience.

“I came to document his story, and he turned the lens around,” she said. “On the very day I arrived to interview him, he interviewed me. He had learned my life as I had learned his, and while I was busy capturing his journey between the pages of a book, he was busy giving mine direction and meaning. That is the kind of man he was — even in receiving, he gave. Even in being seen, he made you feel seen.”

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Who was the 'textile king'?

After first arriving in the UAE in 1960, Shroff built Regal into a household name, diversified into real estate and hospitality. But he came to be known as much for his philanthropy as for his business acumen.

“Not a single person who came to him left empty-handed, whether they came seeking advice, a blessing, or simply the reassurance of his presence,” said Priya. “He gave beyond what was asked, beyond what was expected, beyond what most would even think to offer.”

Shroff was a recipient of the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award and more than a dozen other honours recognising his service.

Shroff gives back to community

Shroff arrived in Sharjah from Mumbai by boat in 1960 at the age of 19, when the emirate was still part of the Trucial States and Dubai was a modest trading post where residents relied on petromax lamps for lighting.

"I took the ship and landed at the port in Sharjah in April 1960. I paid one dollar and fifty cents for my journey. I had travelled deck class and bought the ticket 10 minutes before the ship departed," he said in his autobiography.

From his early days, Shroff aimed to always give back to the community. That is how he became one of the key figures in the establishment of The Indian High School in Dubai in 1961. He became one of its first honorary teachers, teaching Hindi and physical education to its nine students. The school which began in an apartment in Bur Dubai's Al Shirawi building, has now expanded into three campuses educating more than 16,000 students at very nominal prices.

A devout man, he was instrumental in building the Hindu temple in Jebel Ali and developing the cremation grounds for the Hindu community in the country. In one of his interviews in December 2025 with Indian business group IBPC, Shroff revealed that he was planning his next project — an Indian merchant community hall estimated to cost Dh70 million. He had called it his “last dream”.

How was Regal founded?

Regal was founded in 1952, when Dubai was still part of the Trucial States. Shroff joined his brothers in the textile wholesale business in 1960, but he quickly saw a different future.

While his brothers preferred wholesale, he pushed into retail- a bold move at a time when domestic consumption in Dubai was only 20 per cent of the market. Regal department store became a success, and the business grew from there.

Despite expanding into new sectors, Shroff’s passion remained textiles. He often said that while one could survive without food or water temporarily, no one could step out of their home without clothes- a reality that made his trade essential.

His death marks the end of an era for Dubai’s business community. Priya concluded that if she had to describe him in one word, she said, it would be ‘singular’. “There is no adequate category for a man like Vasu Shroff. He did not simply build an empire. He built something real, something rooted, something that will outlast marble and mortar.”