Now & Then

As India’s original fashion store reopens its doors, we take a look at the Ensemble that was, and the flagship —envisioned by Tina Tahiliani Parikh—it is today

- Natasha Khurana

It’s the afternoon of the Ensemble Lionsgate launch (or rather, re-launch) party on a rainy August day in Mumbai. With less than five hours to go, the store is a jumble of merchandisers, staff, and workers. The carpets are rolled up, the scaffolding’s not been taken down, and there’s a smell of fresh paint. You couldn’t guess there’s a party slated for that evening. But clearly the Ensemble team is an old hand at this because by 7:00 p.m., everything is as it should be. Executive director Tina Tahiliani Parikh stands at the door, greeting each guest, and the evening’s a grand success.

Started by Parikh’s elder brother, Tarun, and his wife Sailaja (Sal) Tahiliani, with the late Rohit Khosla, Ensemble, the Tahilianis assert, was ahead of its time. “The objective was to promote Indian talent who had not been given a platform under their own label and were often working for other people,” says Parikh. “We thought there was a new wind,” adds Tahiliani. “That one should have not just a big, wonderful fashion boutique, but because the best, most beautiful clothes were being exported abroad and not available to Indians. It was my wife Sal’s idea, and she and Rohit discussed this at a shoot they were doing for Vimal Fabrics.”