In an exclusive interview, renowned fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani discusses the phenomenon of airport looks, sustainable fashion, and Bollywood costuming.
Tarun Tahiliani is a rare ace fashion designer in India who has not turned to Bollywood. He has never designed costumes for films and actively opposes the showstopper culture, which frequently requires the presence of a Bollywood celebrity on the ramp. He has also refrained from lending his costumes to stylists so that celebrities could wear them at airports.
On Airport Looks
“We’re such a stylish country, with each of us having a unique voice, I don’t know what goes wrong at airports,” Tarun told Hindustan Times during the Jaipur Literature Festival, which took place from February 1 to 5 in the city. “Actors and stylists have gone into overdrive, choosing these expensive imported brands even for their airport attire. “This is only setting false precedents for fans who are blindly following them on Instagram,” he concluded.
The designer said he can’t remember how many requests he gets to lend his outfits to celebrities for publicity through their ‘airport looks.’ “Bollywood is responsible for robbing people of their unique styles. Nobody cares about their voice anymore; they all want to dress like these actors at airports, for goodness sake. “That’s not how style works,” Tarun explained. He went on to say that social media is increasing the pressure on people to avoid wearing the same outfit twice.
On Sustainable Fashion
“Why can’t you wear the same outfit several times and get photographed in it? Trust me, they only get better with age. Even at weddings today, every bride wants to wear beige because Bollywood actors chose that color for their weddings. And they all require a fresh ‘look’ for their mehendi, haldi, sangeet, and shadi. I tell them, ‘You’re not actors who need to change their makeup for every occasion. Just stick with a basic one. And for god’s sake, stop breaking your backs with those heavy lehengas. “Not worth it,” he stated.
Tarun then praised actor Alia Bhatt for promoting sustainable fashion by wearing her wedding saree to the National Awards ceremony last year, where she won Best Actress for her role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2022 blockbuster period drama Gangubai Kathiawadi.
On not being bewitched by Bollywood
Speaking of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, his 2015 period romance Bajirao Mastani is the only movie Tarun considered designing costumes for. However, due to multiple reasons, including his father’s ill health, Tarun couldn’t do the project. But he has no regrets since he has no ambition to be a costume designer. “I’m certainly not bewitched by Bollywood. I think actors should be actors, designers should be designers. Designers should not be costume people,” said Tarun.
He stated that the only exception to this rule is if the designer’s aesthetic is consistent with the world of the film. He gives as examples Giorgio Armani’s suits for Paul Schrader’s 1980 neo-noir crime drama American Gigolo and Jean Paul Gaultier’s signature funky wardrobe for Peter Greenaway’s 1989 crime drama The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover. Tarun lent his trademark bridal attire for the second episode of Made in Heaven Season 2, but had to criticize the producers for not misrepresenting them.
“I have a lot of respect for Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, and perhaps this was a mistake. But, who cares? It’s over, and I have forgotten about it. The entire point was that they were doing it in their own name. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I called them out so that the designers of the following episodes could be properly compensated,” Tarun said. However, all episodes of Made in Heaven Season 2 were released simultaneously last year on Prime Video India. While designers were given some credit for the bridal wardrobe, only Sabyasachi Mukherjee received the royal treatment in the first episode, which included a cameo, studio tour, and logo placements. Tarun’s bridal attire was attributed to a fictitious designer in the subsequent episode.
Tarun is also very critical of the state of styling today. “These actors put so much pressure on themselves to become stars that they end up performing ridiculous fashion stunts in front of the paparazzi. I was at a dinner with Bollywood celebrities the other day and was embarrassed by how they dressed. Unfortunately, it is affecting our population. “This is not our culture.” Tarun grew up in a time before television, and Hollywood films were not released in socialist India until the VHS era. So Bollywood was his only window into how India dressed.
Tarun Tahiliani’s new book Journey to India Modern is published by Roli Books.