How Tarun Tahiliani Weaves Magic With His Creations

If you’re on a perpetual search for comfort, elegance and versatility, Tarun Tahiliani’s magic is unmissable. New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology graduate began his design journey in 1994 when he launched his eponymous label. Since then, the designer has developed his designs in such a way that they emphasise women’s natural form and their sensuality while still being free-flowing and comfortable. He has a unique way of merging textiles, traditional embroidery techniques (such as kashidakar, mukaish, chikankari), drapery, comfort, and honouring women’s physiques in such a way that simply cannot be forgotten. 

His excellence is well known and reputed, so much so, that Tarun Tahiliani is one of the first designers to have taken Indian fashion global and his work has been worn by various international celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Gigi Hadid and Zendaya. 

A loyalist to the Indian sari, the couturier has found intriguing and proven ways to compliment the sari with blouses that are sculpted to perfection, either by being corsetted wonders, fluted and embellished marvels or tailored masterpieces. Regardless of his detailed work, Tarun Tahiliani places immense significance on the comfort and the lightweight nature of his designs. “We want things to be light, we want people to be able to wear them. People tell me they wear our clothes after 20 years, I love to hear that. I’d hate to see someone changing at 10 pm because they’re miserable,” says the designer as he speaks to Manifest India. Something evident in his recent collection at the Hyundai India Couture Week.

In the collection, titled ‘Otherworldly’, colours such as ivory, pastels, black and reds dominated and comfort was, yet again, placed at the forefront. The showcase also set a new record for being the first in history to repeat the showcase right after it ended. Due to an organisational mix-up, some attendees were left outside the venue even as the show began. The designer rose to the occasion and made the unexpected decision to host the show again for those who missed it.

The couturier clearly understands the role that personal style, garment construction and textile play in versatility. For one cannot be versatile without comfort! “People who have style own it, it’s not so much to do with what they adorn themselves with, that’s a very nouveau way to look at style,” the designer had said in conversation with Manifest‘s Editor-in-Chief Chaiti Narula in an episode of The Clique. 

It’s a rare combination to watch a designer be so well-acquainted with traditional Indian textiles, embroidery, and at the same time with the idea of comfort, wearability and sustainability of an outfit. We love to see it!

Tarun Tahiliani is going to showcase at the FDCI Manifest Wedding Weekend. It’s an invite-only event which will be held at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, on August 3-4, 2024. For an invitation, register here or reach out at fmww@rpsg.in.