Tarun Tahiliani, who has spun designer dreams for 30 yrs, fails to impress Gen-Z with Team India's Olympic outfits

It seems what has Indians talking at the moment is Team India's Olympic uniform designed by Tarun Tahiliani, a designer with a 30-year strong career. For the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics 2024, male athletes wore kurta pyjamas while female athletes donned white sarees with patterns of the tricolour and digital prints. Here's what went on.

The controversy

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The internet reacted strongly to Team India's uniforms calling them "lacklustre," "shoddy" and "poorly" designed.“This is the best that Tarun Tahiliani could come up with? We are so used to our athletes looking so smart, normally. This feels like he phoned in the design,” X user Ajay Kamath wrote.

“Crumpled kurtas, polyester printed sarees. Faded colours. Coming from the land of a hundred plus handloom fabrics, numerous outstanding weaves and vibrant colours. Travesty,” added another X user.

Malayalam writer NS Madhavan wondered, "At world’s fashion capital, an Indian athlete looked like this - dull and ordinary. Tarun Tahiliani’s mix of plastic-sheet-like saree, printed ikat and unimaginative use of tricolour, shut window to splendrous world of Indian textiles."

According to reports, what added insult to injury was when?Tasva, the brand that gave Team India its uniform, and one?whose Chief Design Officer is Tahiliani, chose digital ikat prints and not traditional weaves. Most online felt that for someone who's known for grandeur and opulence would choose digital prints that didn't "flatter."?

What Tarun Tahiliani said

Tahiliani stood by his choice of ikat calling it "emblematic of a weaving tradition practised around the country" | Image: Instagram

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In a press release celebrating the brand's hard work and somewhat sidestepping the controversy, Tahiliani, said: “Seeing the outfits come to life adorned with the Team India Olympics logo was a moment of immense pride for Tasva. As our athletes sailed past the Seine during the opening ceremony, they carried a piece of India, making a bold statement in the fashion capital of the world.”

Tahiliani later opened up in an interview with The Hindu and stood by his choice of ikat calling it?"emblematic of a weaving tradition practised around the country." One report adds that his team at Tasva had to go with digital prints so timelines could be followed and deadlines met.?

Tahiliani is the Chief Design Officer at Tasva | Image: Instagram

"The choice of viscose over cotton was also deliberate. Cotton would have crushed badly. We used viscose because it is a wood pulp fibre and lets you breathe. It is cooler than silk,” he expressed. “We had to consider breathability because the athletes would be on a barge, in the heat, for up to five hours."

He told Elle Magazine, "As a designer, feedback is always valuable, whether positive or critical. The ceremonial outfits for the Olympics were created with a deep sense of pride and an intention to blend tradition with modernity. Our aim was to showcase India's rich heritage while ensuring comfort and functionality for our athletes. The use of ikat inspired prints, modern silhouettes, and practical details were carefully chosen to represent 'Indian Modern'."?

"It's important to clarify that the intention was never to present haute couture" but "functional and comfortable design."?

The designer

Tahiliani has been in the industry for almost 30 years now. He co-founded Ensemble--now run by his sister Tina Tahiliani Parikh--in 1987 with his wife which saw great success. In 1994, he got his first solo show in London that earned him the moniker 'Karl Lagerfeld of India.' In 1995, he moved base from Mumbai to Delhi where he then opened the Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio. If Bombay was the springboard, Delhi was the great expanse of the ocean that forever changed the way he designed.

The fashion heavyweight was born in 1962 and is the elder of two children. His father was an admiral in the Indian Navy and his mother an engineer in Maharashtra. He has studied at The Doon School in Dehradun, St. Stephen's College in Delhi and The Wharton School of Business.?

Tahiliani has dressed the crème de la crème of Bollywood and international celebrities. He has dressed the likes of Madhuri Dixit Nene, Arianna Huffington, Nita Ambani,? Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to name a few. His most recent project was dressing celebrities for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding.

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The?Paris Olympics 2024, which kicked off on July 26, 2024, is in full swing and India is off to a relatively promising start with Manu Bhaker winning bronze in Women's 10m Air Pistol on day 2. India is eyeing medals from at least 16 sports and hoping for Neeraj Chopra (javelin throw), PV Sindhu (badminton), Lovlina Borgohain (boxing) and many more to add to India's tally.??

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