Tarun Tahiliani
Designer, Tarun Tahiliani
After earning a degree from Wharton, he returned to India to set up his label and has become a bridal market leader.
Hailed the ‘ Karl Lagerfeld of India’ by the late superstylist Isabella Blow, Tarun Tahiliani has made a name for himself as one of India’s first international fashion designers. After earning his degree in business management from Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, Tahiliani saw a gap in the market in his native country for upmarket fashion. In 1987, he founded the country’s first multi-brand boutique, Ensemble. Shortly thereafter, to build his technical design skills, he received an associate degree from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and launched his eponymous brand in 1994.
Although Tahiliani produces a number of lines, including prêt-a-porter, diffusion, and accessories, he is most highly acclaimed for his couture bridal gowns. Since 2009, he has hosted an annual bridal exposition in cities across India, where brands like De Beers and the World Gold Council set up booths to gain access to Tahiliani’s potential customers.
He currently owns boutiques all across India in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad, and his designs are stocked around the world, including the Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Australasia. Having held runway shows around the world, from London to Milan, Tahiliani is also a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India, the governing body of the country’s official fashion week.
He is celebrated for combining traditional Indian textiles with modern, Western-influenced silhouettes. His trademark – a glittering kind of opulence and richness – resonates with his selective and deep-pocketed clientele.
VITAL STATISTICS
India’s Fashion Industry at a Crossroads
As the virus spreads and the economy falters, the country’s fashion industry is nearing crisis point. With sales down, stores closing and artisan supply chains under pressure, designers are digging deep to become even more entrepreneurial.
In South Asia, the Cult of the Catwalk Celebrity
South Asia’s fashion designers are fond of sending famous faces down the runway. But as Amazon India Fashion Week kicks off, how successful are these ‘celebrity showstoppers’ and can they backfire?
Transgender Movement Inspires Indian Fashion
India’s ‘third gender’ community and transgender women are finding work and a welcome from the nation’s fashion industry.
What India’s Currency Crackdown Means For Fashion
In an effort to clamp down on corruption, India has withdrawn 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. BoF examines how it could fundamentally change the way people shop.
Fashion Entrepreneurs Stitch Together India and Pakistan
A bonanza awaits fashion entrepreneurs who can build bridges between India and Pakistan. But can business interests overcome a deeply troubled past?
H&M’s Next Target: The Indian Middle Class
Five years behind Zara, the Swedish high-street giant has opened its first store in India. BoF meets CEO Karl-Johan Persson to talk strategy and stratification in the Indian subcontinent.
The Indian Fashion Community Gathers to Celebrate the #BoF500
On Thursday night, leading players from the Indian fashion community gathered in New Delhi to celebrate the country’s valuable contribution to the global fashion industry.
Inside India’s Big Fat $38 Billion Wedding Market, Part 2
Yesterday, in Part 1, BoF’s editor-in-chief Imran Amed spoke to designers, show organisers, media executives and former brides to learn why weddings are such big business in India. Today, get to know the couture-level designers that cater to the top end of the country’s bridal market, the opportunities for international luxury brands and the forces set to shape the market in the years to come.
Inside India’s Big Fat $38 Billion Wedding Market, Part 2
Yesterday, in Part 1, BoF’s editor-in-chief Imran Amed spoke to designers, show organisers, media executives and former brides to learn why weddings are such big business in India. Today, get to know the couture-level designers that cater to the top end of the country’s bridal market, the opportunities for international luxury brands and the forces set to shape the market in the years to come.
The Creative Class | Bandana Tewari, Editor
PARIS, France — Bandana Tewari has made a name for herself as one of the fashion industry's smartest commentators. As fashion features director of
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
