THE HOMECOMING

Couturier Tarun Tahiliani launched his new label TASVA on the banks of Benares.

- Radhika Bhalla

It’s been 30 years since Tarun Tahiliani drummed up an army of followers of his exquisite craftsmanship, but his power and prowess remain as strong as ever. Which is why the launch of his first-ever menswear label, TASVA (with Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail LTD), on the banks of the river Benares is a milestone moment to celebrate.

“Benares was the first place we went to when we launched my label decades ago, which was called Ahilian,” Tarun tells Bazaar India in an exclusive têteà-tête. “We went with a very modest budget: Sal [his wife and co-founder of Ensemble, Sailaja], me, and a lady called Naseem Khan from Kundalini, which was the first company we manufactured with. Mapu [textile conservator, curator, and cultural historian Martand Singh] had given us this wonderful book called Vishwakarma, where we looked up the master craftsmen of India. We visited them and started to shop without any real knowledge of what we were going to do with the pieces.”