Best Of India Under A Roof

Bindu Gopal Rao speaks to Mr Ajoy Chawla, SVP – Strategy & Business Incubation, Titan, to get insights into Taneira, the youngest brand from Titan.

Taneira is the youngest brand from Titan which aims to revive one of the oldest occupations of handloom weaving and the oldest garment - the sari. The collection of handwovens and handcrafted saris include mugas from Assam, cottons from Chettinad, tussars from Bhagalpur, ikats from Gujarat, Andhra and Orissa; jamdanis from Bengal, chikankari work from Lucknow, exotic and classical banarasi silks; exquisite kanjeevarams; heirloom pieces like patan patolas and muslin jamdanis, amongst others. Also, the name Taneira comes from the ‘tan’ in Tata, Tamil Nadu, Titan and Tanishq along with ‘Ira’ which is another name for Goddess Saraswati in Sanskrit. Also the brand is inspired by the lotus as a motif. Ajoy Chawla, tells us all about the brand and how they are focused on natural and handloom fabrics in this exclusive conversation.

WHAT WAS THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND TITAN VENTURING INTO CLOTHING?

The way we look at it is that Titan as a company has several brands, the watches or eye wear are all about personal adornment and while there is a functionality to it, there is a lifestyle expression also attached to it. Also, we would like to see ourselves as a design driven company and in a way we use design and brand power to express ourselves. When it came to watches and to an extent eyewear, it was all about engineered design. With jewellery, we took a leap into crafted design from engineered design. Again, all our products are about special occasions and milestones. Additionally, we have a large consumer base considering the mindset we appeal to and Taneira was a logical extension to connect with this customer base. And, we are a ‘Make in India’ brand and we appeal to Indian sensibilities. Therefore, this category is a perfect natural fit for us.

WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN BENGALURU TO START YOUR STORE?