New Delhi: As he marks 30 years in Indian fashion, ace designer Tarun Tahiliani is sharpening the business lens on scale, stores and brand extensions. The ambition is to take the portfolio to a ₹600–700 crore brand by the next fiscal, even as couture remains inherently capped by its handmade nature, Tahiliani shared in an interaction with ETRetail.
Growth, he says, will be driven by ready-to-wear and premium segments – Tasva, OTT, and a carefully incubated fine jewellery line, backed by an expanding physical retail presence.
Tahiliani, whose labels span couture to contemporary wear, says OTT, his western separates brand with Indian design cues, is expanding rapidly. The brand currently has five stores, with four to five more in the pipeline, and is targeting 10–15 stores by the end of the next financial year. “Each one is profitable. It’s not even been a year,” he says, underlining the early traction. OTT, he adds, sits closer to luxury in terms of fabrics, novelty and styling, making it harder to train retail teams but giving it a sharper identity.
Tasva, the premium ethnic menswear brand where Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail holds a majority stake, is the most aggressive scale play. “They run that,” Tahiliani says, pointing to the corporate machinery that has helped Tasva reach 80 stores in four years, a pace he admits he could never have achieved independently. The brand’s premium positioning, factory-led manufacturing and systems-driven expansion make it easier to scale, even as he continues to push for authenticity in sourcing and craft narratives.
Beyond apparel, Tahiliani is testing the waters in fine jewellery. What began as an experimental line is now being developed cautiously. The designer insists on a strong, unique proposition and personal involvement in design, noting that identity takes time to build. The brand has already seen traction in silver, even as volatile metal prices remain a concern.
Looking back, Tahiliani frames his three-decade journey against the transformation of India’s consumer economy from a need-based, tailor-driven market with limited exposure to today’s hyper-visual, mall-led, Instagram-fuelled ecosystem. He recalls an India without billboards, LEDs or advertising clutter, where saris dominated and the shalwar kameez was still called a Punjabi dress. Liberalisation, travel, disposable incomes, Bollywood and organised retail have since reshaped taste, aspiration and the wedding economy itself.
That shift has also changed the consumer. Gen Z and Gen Alpha, Tahiliani says, are “spoiled” in a good way, highly aware of fit and reference points, but demanding visual proof. Having grown up on ready-to-wear, they have little relationship with tailors. At the same time, he sees a cohort consciously opting out of hyper-competitiveness and curated projection, seeking different definitions of success and lifestyle.
Despite the rise of e-commerce, Tahiliani is unequivocal about the role of physical retail in luxury. “Luxury is tactile,” he says, arguing that immersion, sensory engagement and brand philosophy cannot be replicated online, especially when fabric quality and drape define value. While hybrid models are evolving, home trials, personal shoppers, curated racks sent to clients, he believes serious luxury still needs stores to build authenticity and trust.
The three-decade milestone has been marked with a showcase at the British Residency in Hyderabad, a venue Tahiliani describes as integral to the narrative of his work. Built in the early 1800s by James Achilles Kirkpatrick with local craftsmen, the Residency embodies cultural collaboration, a theme that underpins the designer’s creative journey. Tahiliani calls the showcase not just a fashion show, but a reflection of India’s layered, hybrid and evolving aesthetic.
Joining hands with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, has been a turning point. Tahiliani is candid about the contrast with his earlier, more instinct-led approach. Watching Tasva’s data-driven analysis, certifications and systems has reshaped how he thinks about capital, operations and scale. “We were running mom-and-pop,” he says of the early years. Today, with leadership drawn from ABFRL, the business runs with sharper discipline – without, he hopes, losing its creative core.
As imitation and fast fashion intensify, Tahiliani says he is tightening intellectual property protections. But the larger focus remains forward-looking: scaling what can be scaled, protecting what must remain artisanal, and building brands that can travel the next phase of India’s retail and luxury journey.
