To deal with setbacks I go back to work: Tahiliani

Learn your craft, study hard and apprentice with someone, says the couture guru.

Couture guru Tarun Tahiliani entered the fashion design industry at a time when the concept of designer clothes was hardly known to the average Indian.

A postgraduate in management, Tahilliani went on to drape celebrities, and is a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), which organises annual fashion weeks, a coveted platform for designers to showcase their designs.

He shares with Urmila Rao his foray into the world of high fashion and his tips for aspiring designers...

Tell us something about your professional education.

I have a degree in Business Management from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. When I returned to India, I saw a vast potential in clothing and the couture industry and in 1991, decided to hone my technical knowledge in design. So, I went back to school and got myself an associate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Who among the professors inspired you the most?

Professor Friedman of Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York.

When did you debut as a professional fashion designer?

In 1987, I opened Ensemble, an upmarket boutique. After my FIT stint, I did my first solo show in 1994 at the Forchester Hotel in London. After that, there was no looking back. In 2003, I was the first Indian designer to showcase my work at the Milan Fashion Week, which gave me an international stage to display my collection.

Which design institutes do you hail as the best in India and abroad?

Those would be the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Parsons The New School For Design, New York.

Your tips for students who want to make a career in fashion design?

Learn your craft, study hard and apprentice with someone.

How do you deal with setbacks?

I go back to work.

What would be the next stage of growth for a person like you who has established a name for himself?

To build a successful and proper business, to expand across India, add new product lines, groom individuals who work for me.

Your life mantra?

Live with a purpose.