Decadent and contemporary, with a sense of intrigue. Tarun Tahiliani's menswear studio in Dubash House, Ballard Estate, Mumbai, is a piece of art, reflective of his interest in interiors over the years. The maverick designer chatted with The Telegraph on the new space and the growing interest in menswear.
The store looks grand and lovely...
We had a beautiful space on top of my existing Bombay store. High gable roof. These are turn-of-the-century buildings and it is beautiful. First of all, I just stripped it down bare and kept the original roof. I wanted a different vibe to the store. Downstairs it's all peach and beige. (Upstairs) I wanted it to be like a beautiful, old-world panelled library, like a reading room. In that, we put on the clothes and we use this ubiquitous pretty jaali. So, we made a jaali room in the centre. It's a square but imagine the central square has access from three sides and it is the meeting room. And, around it, as you pass different sections in turn, you have different collections and dressing rooms. So, it's very simple in design. I truly believe that people need to see less clutter now. It is monochromatic... charcoal, brown and black... masculine.
Then we have this amazing piece, the Yali, which gives a very powerful force of masculine energy. It's abstract like that. There are translucent photographs and they change every season. So, we have tried some new things this time and I think it would work with the product really standing out.
We did a small all-men's store in Delhi, but that was attached to the store. Here because of the space, we could treat it differently.
Stores are becoming more experiential now...
Hundred per cent. It is very important. I saw this many years back when I had gone to Dover Street, in London. The Dior and Chanel stores are very big and wonderfully immersive spaces. Both are light and cool. You need to keep it easy. There are giant installations (with signature elements) so that the identity comes through.
And, you cannot help it today, especially with men. If they know their sizes, they will shop online, not when they are getting married, but otherwise. So (experiential stores) are a nice way to let somebody into the world... like they used to say about the perfume that you should smell it the moment a woman enters and it should linger long after she's left the room.
It also has to connect emotionally. Then it stays with you. Also, in today's world, everyone is so multifaceted and multi-exposed, with so many influences, that you don't identify with one thing any more. Everyone has 10 things they identify with. It's also to leave a mark.
The collection is signature, so dapper...
Summer's always a much slower time. So, a lot of lighter pieces. But what's happened this year is that already people are coming in for Fall/winter weddings. So, it has some of the Fall pieces, simple kurtas. I was bemoaning the fact today that men are almost always in Western clothes... unless it has something to do with weddings, festivals or conservative dinners.
More spaces are being dedicated to menswear. What does it say about the men in 2023?
Normally they don't come alone. It shows the collection much better in a standalone space. Women want much more colour and men are becoming more subtle. Yes, menswear is becoming a much bigger market and it is equally becoming important for men now to dress up. They still want comfort and they shop a little differently, but they need beautiful tailoring and they need these Indian clothes to be comfortable.
