THE MAN BEHIND THE MAVERICK

Tahir Sultan, the Kuwaiti-Indian philanthropist of wearable and culinary art, comfortably weaves the influences of both the cultures into his work.

- MALIKA HALDER

When I walked into Makaan, a concept store designed by fashion designer and chef Tahir Sultan in Jaipur, a brooding vibe welcomed me. But once I climbed down the flight of stairs to the store’s basement and entered what seemed almost like a secret dungeon of treasures, I was awestruck by the offerings—antique brass sculptures, Naga panels, hand-thrown crockery, bespoke candles, and embroidered cushions. But the ones that stood out were the 350-year-old huge earthen clay pots. “They were used on the trade routes. They look beautiful in both hotel and landscape projects,” informs Sultan. 

Makaan was born out of a feeling, says Sultan. “There was something inside of me that kept pushing me to open a store. I soon realised that depending on walk-ins was not the correct business model. I started supplying key pieces to interior decorators, and Makaan became a store where people looking to decorate their homes came to find unique pieces,” he adds. The designer says his collection at Makaan is sourced from India and the Far East. “The whole idea was to take tribal and vintage furniture, and artefacts, and make them cool. A lot of what we sell is almost impossible to find,” says Sultan.