“I stay relevant by being true to my urban aesthetic, fuelled by the magic of India,” says Tarun Tahiliani

Drapes, Drama and Dhulipala! Perfectly summarises iconic designer and couturier Tarun Tahiliani’s showcase. Celebrating his urban aesthetics fuelled by the magic of India, the Lakme Sheer Drama X Tarun Tahiliani Luxe Pret show closed Day 2 of Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI on a dramatic note.

Tarun Tahiliani who comes with a two decade long legacy in the world of fashion launched his S/S’23 luxury pret collection, Sheer Drama with panache. Post the show, Tarun Tahihilani spoke to News18 about blending fashion and beauty, paying homage to the versatile drapes and why Indian craftsmanship doesn’t need a makeover.

Excerpts from the interview:

Finding meaning and projecting it through your collections, as a pioneer in the world of couture and prêt, how do you manage to stay relevant with changing times?

When one works in fashion or any of the creative arts, one must constantly engage with culture, the changing times and a visceral sense of what one’s place is in the world.

One of the reasons that we have been able to thrive for 25+ years is because a lot of Tarun Tahiliani fashion is timeless. We come from a timeless culture of textile and drape and even though we might have moved very rapidly to Western notions of fast fashion, there are really beautiful things in this country, and some other chicest people I know have a timeless style. In which other countries in the world can you wear your great-grandmother’s sari or lehenga to a wedding? This is because fashions change so much and so quickly in the western world. However, in India all this is possible.

So, while we do adopt western shapes, pattern making, and construction for ease and comfort in today’s hectic, movement-based lifestyle, the ‘style’ that we design for takes a lot from our own heritage and has a timeless quality to it.

I stay relevant by working on technique, and by being true to my urban aesthetic, which is fuelled by the magic of India. And, most importantly, by contemporising fit.

Lakme Sheer Drama X Tarun Tahiliani Luxe Prêt, blending fashion and beauty on the runway, did you have fun with his collaboration?

Like I always say, fashion and beauty always go together. So, yes, I did have fun but yet, it was easy because it was totally in sync with what I was doing at the time. Beauty brands also respond to trends and we, whether we like it or not, are responding to a new clean, equal aesthetic.

As women demand and get full equality, there will be no place in their lives for them to sit and paint themselves for three hours. The age of the Geisha is over. Instead, women want practical, clean, translucent enhancers, and want to be seen truly as themselves, devoid of artifice and very much in their new role in the current world.

Your runway presentations have always been an extension of your design sensibilities, with today’s showcase what was the thought that went into blending the prêt line with Sahil Vasudeva’s modern cinematic piano soundtrack?

Actually, I am a big fan of Philip Glass and Sahil Vasudeva does a lot of remixing and reimagining of the brilliance of Philip Glass’ chords. Then I recently heard another piece of his called, Quinara, which I had liked very much too and had originally thought of that for the couture show, which we will be doing in July. That said, when I was looking at the music for this show, Sahil’s renditions just seemed to go really well with the sparer aesthetic of both the clothes and the translucence we described.

So, we worked on some additional things like Lori Anderson’s voice, etc. and decided to work in this direction, devoid of some of the normal accompaniments that I usually have. It’s almost like an Indian fusion, a new jazz, a contemporary Indo-global expression that I think reflects everything else we are doing with the clothes.

Drapes play the perfect canvas for Sheer Drama, how many styles of drapes have you experimented with and how challenging was it to celebrate both drama and drapes in the collection?

There is no challenge at all. The more you drape and the more you twist them, the more dramatic it becomes. They are both proportionally related. We’ve done about 12-14 new drapes and variations of them.

Your designs tell many tales of your legacy, what’s the inspiration behind your impeccable creativity?

I come from a great legacy and in over 30 years, we have built this legacy within our brand. Also, as we do more, we understand more and have a studio which is capable of doing much more and taking an idea much further. Our studio is our own R&D lab and my inspiration continues to be all the different things I see in India and the multiple amazing craftsmen who work here with me to make this all possible. I think we are all just at it 24/7!

Celebrating lightness through the lens of fashion, you have beautifully weaved Indian craft heritage with airy drapes and light textures in the collection. Do you feel Indian craftsmanship needs a makeover to stay relevant in today’s AI world?

I don’t think that Indian craftsmanship needs a makeover. Indian craftsmanship is superb and Indian craftsmen are as good as they have ever been and are comparable to anything in the world if they are given the right environment, if they are allowed to create calmly, instead of rushing production – because price points may be much lower in India, and therefore, output demanded is higher – and multiple other economic factors.

But the craftsmen themselves are amazing; what they do need sometimes is a contemporary twist on the design that is brought by designers from all over, who have had the luxury to think about a new way. But let me tell you, a lot of our craftsmen are the ones making new samples for us because they are just instinctively moving on to the next thing.

Your collections always have a significant silhouette or design that dominates the collection. Last year, gilets ruled the runway, this season what’s going to take everyone’s breath away?

I think this season, the drapes, the asymmetrical drapes, the coloured chikankari, the cutwork, swirly skirts and the new fluted corset gowns will be amazing!

Tarun Tahiliani is #unapologeticallyME because…

Tarun Tahiliani is #unapologeticallyME because I don’t know any other way to be.

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