Tarun Tahiliani

Tarun Tahiliani is one of India's leading luxury fashion brands deeply entrenched in the modern Indian aesthetic i.e. steeped in Indian traditions and textile crafts but designed keeping in mind the global Indian. The eponymous label is acclaimed for haute couture, bridal wear, luxury pret and- recently- menswear. 

With his wife Sailaja 'Sal' Tahiliani, Tarun co-founded multi-designer boutique Ensemble in 1987 and Tahiliani Design Studio in 1990. Based in Delhi, he is best known for his ability to enhance Indian craftsmanship and textile heritage with tailored silhouettes. His signature is to combine traditional aesthetics with modern design. Of late, Tahiliani has designed interiors for hotels- restaurants- resorts and homes and has even begun designing interiors for Indian weddings.

Born in Bombay, India in 1962 to an admiral in the Indian Navy and the first woman engineer in Maharashtra, Tarun Tahiliani studied at The Doon School in Dehradun and attended St. Stephens College in New Delhi. Soon after he earned an MBA from The Wharton School of Business, where he met his wife Sailaja. Upon his return from the United States, Tahiliani joined the family business, selling oil-field equipment. At the time India was going through an economic revolution and Tahiliani was a part of the movement where we went from textile culture to tailored fashion. 

In 1987 Tahiliani and his wife Sailaja co-founded Ensemble, a multi-brand fashion boutique that introduced luxury retail to Bombay. The racks featured four Indian and one American designer along with Tahiliani's own label, Ahilian. Subsequently Ensemble provided a platform for some of the best Indian fashion designers at the time. The vertical is now run by his sister Tina Tahiliani Parikh who joined the business in 1990.

With the success of Ensemble Tahiliani envisioned creating something that would bring craft, culture and community together and enrolled in Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City to earn an associate degree in fashion design. After shuttling between the US and India for four years, Tahiliani held his first solo show at Dorchester Hotel in London where he was acclaimed as the ‘Karl Lagerfeld of India’ by British fashion editor Isabella Blow. This show of early appreciation, coupled with his growing technical knowledge in design, began to lead Tahiliani in a new direction.

Indian in character, with no compromise on technique and detailing, Tahiliani cuts down the volume of lightweight multi-coloured lehengas. Modern fits and silhouettes, lehengas with coordinated jackets, shararas, saris and sleek menswear with drapes — the collections are the fashion designer's celebration of lightness and functionality. But if this description feels like a modern way to deal with bridal-wear Tahiliani's mastery of classic couture embellishment ensures that opulence is never missing. Each piece is enhanced by chikankari, pichwai, zardosi or Kashmir-inspired kashida.

“'Men and women who come to us have a clear expectation of the finest quality and intricate technique. That hasn't changed over time. What has changed is that the bride and groom wants exquisite garments, however, with no compromise on functionality. They want to enjoy their own wedding and move around without feeling weighed down. They want to maintain tradition with a modern outlook'” he explains to Explosive Fashion.

In 1995, he founded Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio. Delhi's close proximity to the craft belt in Lucknow, Bareilly and Jaipur provided easy access to artisans and fabrics. Per Vogue: "Self-admittedly, Tarun Tahiliani "carries the flag for understated bling." Over the years, this instinct for balance has earned the designer celebrity status with brides all over the country…" As the studio grew, Tahiliani shifted operations to a more expansive space in Mehrauli. This was an important period for the designer: while his style continued to reflect a particular Indianness, his structured designs broke away from tradition.

In recent news Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd acquired thirty three per cent stake in Tarun Tahiliani's demi-couture for reported $9.25 million, with an option to increase to fifty one percent in few years. Per Explosive Fashion he said: “Aditya Birla Group understands scale and numbers like no one else in the market today and each of their homegrown brands is a resounding success. I would be delighted if this collaboration would enable the reach to that kind of scale. In principle, we decided that it should be two different companies for the simple reason that we wanted a very high engine driver for the new line which required massive investment. This allowed me to invest and hold a stake in the new venture while maintaining and having the ability to work on my luxury brand at my own pace."

A joint venture between the House of Tarun Tahiliani and the Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd- Tasva was launched in 2021 as a more relaxed affordable alternative to luxury menswear. Prioritising comfort with high quality and sleek cuts, the brand aims to change the way Indian men approach craft and tradition, by updating it for the current generation. Tahiliani has also tapped into the world of architecture and interior design. He has designed several boutique hotels, resorts, restaurants, and holiday homes and has an interior and architecture division for special projects. This passion for spaces is reflected in all of his stores.

In 2023 Tarun Tahiliani launched a coffee table book "Tarun Tahiliani: Journey To Modern India”. Per Architectural Digest: “Tahiliani’s journey, from the pioneering launch of Ensemble in 1987 to the establishment of his eponymous label, is a testament to his relentless pursuit of 'India Modern.' The book explores his fashion ethos, highlighting intricate craftsmanship, luxurious fabrics, and innovative tailoring. His travels across India to study artisanal clusters blend a narrative of fashion with the country’s rich heritage and evolving sensibilities.”

"Traceability, cultural identity, spirituality and sustainability forms the essence of my work" explains Tarun Tahiliani on his official website. Today the eponymous luxury fashion brand aims to work towards striking a balance between his India Modern design ideology and the new venture with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. which acquired thirty- three percent stake in Tarun Tahiliani's demi-couture for reported $9.25 million. The label will continue to create haute couture- bridal wear- and luxury pret for men and women while he will simultaneously be focusing towards getting a hundred and fifty- odd stores up and running.

Men and women who go to Tarun Tahiliani for haute couture or bridal wear have always had a clear expectation of the finest quality, intricate couture workmanship and something that flatters their personal style and body type. That hasn't changed over time. What has changed though is Tarun Tahiliani's vision of what a new age bride and groom want and he has evolved his aesthetic to deliver it. 

Tahiliani feels young people today want exquisite, artistically embellished garments, however, with no compromise on functionality. Brides and grooms in particular want to enjoy their own wedding without feeling weighed down. They want to maintain tradition but with a modern outlook and hence Tarun Tahiliani now designs lightweight apparel deep rooted in traditional textile craft and with no compromise on couture embellishment and attention to detail.

Tarun Tahiliani retails haute couture- luxury pret- bridal wear- and menswear best described as "India Modern." The fashion designer reimagines Indian craftsmanship and creates collections that stay on brand astride ushering in a fresh perspective. His perspective of a new age bride and groom is one who wants to adorn exquisite hand-embellished garments, however, with no compromise on functionality. They want to enjoy their own wedding and move around at ease without feeling weighed down. They want to maintain tradition with a modern outlook. And he designs accordingly.

At his showing with an estimated 900 ft catwalk for FDCI India Couture Week 2022- Tahiliani's ‘Painterly Dreams’ showcased his aesthetic of India Modern. Indian in character, with no compromise on couture technique and detailing, Per Explosive Fashion: 'Tahiliani trimmed the volume of the lightweight multi-coloured lehengas. Lehengas with coordinated jackets, shararas, saris and sleek menswear with drapes — the collection was the designer's celebration of lightness and functionality. But if all that felt like a modern way to deal with bridal-wear, Tahiliani's mastery of classic couture embellishment meant that opulence was never absent. Each pieces was enhanced by chikankari, pichwai, zardosi and Kashmir-inspired kashida.'