Tarun Tahiliani: Journey to India Modern

Hailed as the ‘Karl Lagerfeld of India’ by the late Isabella Blow, Tarun Tahiliani is one of India's foremost fashion designers with incredible success in India and abroad. Celebrated for combining traditional Indian textiles with modern, Western-influenced silhouettes, Tarun Tahiliani today produces many different lines including accessories, home, carpets and pret, but is most acclaimed for couture bridal wear. For almost three decades, Tarun Tahiliani has galvanized Indian fashion. His vision and its translation into garments have reintroduced India to her own rich sartorial history and legacy. Journey to India Modern celebrates Tahiliani’s contribution not simply through bewitching clothing but also through a question that he aims to answer through his ensembles: Can the past and present be merged for the global contemporary society? The book charts its way through the very first fashion photo shoot when there were limited expressions of fashion in India to the modern day. While garments and design retain the focus, the essays also illustrate the way Tahiliani explored and crystallized a vision of India—from road trips during the heydays of socialism to his arrival as a leading couturier to the most celebrated women and men in Indian society. Garments from Tahiliani’s oeuvre are illustrative in understanding the past and reconcile histories that were affected by colonialism and globalization. While the book begins its life in Bombay, the journey is a tour of the country—from its urban slums to the farthest corners of the country and fashion weeks across the globe—in a bid to identify arts that were neglected and revived. It is embellished with anecdotes, imagery, sketches and stories that present a holistic view of who they are, where they are headed, and what it means to be an Indian luxury design studio in a rapidly transforming world.