Tarun Tahiliani

Tarun Tahiliani studied at the Doon School and then went on to obtain a degree in Business Management from the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania. On returning to India, he realized that there was enormous potential in the designer wear and couture garments sector of the country. In 1987 he opened the first fashion boutique in India, 'Ensemble', heralding a fashion and retail revolution in the country.

Tarun Tahiliani, one of the leading fashion designers in India, is the founder of the Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio. His signature designs are synonymous with high fashion and impeccable sensibility, with style, craftsmanship, quality and refinement as the defining symbols.
The Design Studio creates couture, diffusion, prêt-a-porter and accessories, which are Indian in construct yet international in appeal. His collections embody an international look, which is contemporary, chic and personifies grace with élan.

His talent has enabled him to transform traditional Indian drapes, textiles and techniques into modern, innovative, structured forms that translate into an international contemporary look.

Tarun Tahiliani started his professional career with a degree in Business Management from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. After returning to India, he realised there was enormous potential in the designer wear and couture garments sector in the country. In 1987, he opened the first fashion boutique in India - ‘Ensemble’, heralding a fashion and retailing revolution in India.

Highly creative and inherently talented, Tarun Tahiliani decided to hone his technical knowledge in design. In 1991, he received an associate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Tarun Tahiliani held his first solo show in September 1994 in London. Since then, he has held numerous shows at home and overseas. In September 2003, he became the first Indian designer to be invited to participate at the Milan Fashion Week. He has held shows in New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Moscow and Karachi.

He has been awarded the Moet and Chandon Fashion Tribute 2004 Award for Designer of the Year for India, and was invited to represent India at Hong Kong in October. He has been awarded the F Award 2004 for Best Women’s Designer for Couture. He is an office-bearer and member of the Fashion Design Council of India.

In September 2004 Tarun Tahiliani presented his Spring Summer 2005 collection at The Fashion Coterie in New York, and at the Milan Fashion Week. In October he presented the Lakme Grand Finale “Fireworks Collection” in Mumbai and showcased his collection in Karachi, Pakistan.

This year Tarun Tahiliani’s international events include the London and Milan Fashion Weeks in February, the Fashion Coterie, New York in February-March, and later, the Moscow Fashion Week.

In 1995 Jemima Khan, daughter of the late UK billionaire Sir James Goldsmith, commissioned Tarun Tahiliani to design her wedding outfit for her marriage to world-renowned cricketer and politician Imran Khan. Tarun has also created confections for some of the world’s most renowned fashion icons including the Duchess of Kent, Indian film star Aamir Khan (for the Oscar presentation ceremony), former Miss World and Indian and international film star and model Aishwarya Rai, Isabella Blow, actor Kabir Bedi, and Fern Mallis, Executive Director, 7th on Sixth and Vice President, IMG. Celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Goldie Hawn and Elizabeth Hurley have also been known to shop at the Ensemble stores (partly-owned by him) in Mumbai.

Tarun Tahiliani, whose Design Studio is based in New Delhi, is internationally acknowledged as one of India’s best designers, with his creations available in the top fashion stores in cities across the globe, such as Eickhoff (Germany), Bijenkorf (Amsterdam), Elenora (Rome), Gio Moretti, Via Della Spiga (Milan), Eleven Monte Carlo (Monaco), Podium (Moscow), Scoop and Gus Mayer (New York) and Josephs (London) besides his flagship stores in New Delhi and Mumbai.

LIFW’05 Collection
Showing an A/W 2005-06 line for women. This collection abides by the simple principle of freedom and luxury….. The garments are soft and fluid and fall like gossamer threads on the body and the drape is structured in form but allows fluidity in movement, imparting elegance and style…. Apart from using trompe l’oeil to exaggerate the structured drapes, this collection uses Afghani, Bedouinesque, Indian, Moroccan, Turkish and Kurdish textiles into a luxe parade of earth, sunrise and sunset to create a striking montage of modern fashion.’