Tarun Tahiliani Fashion Designer, Founder Tarun Tahiliani Tahiliani is, part of the first generation of Indian fashion. in Maharashtra, Tarun Tahiliani was the elder of two children. He studied at The Doon School in Dehradun, and attended St. Stephens College in Delhi. Soon after, he earned an MBA from The Wharton School of Business. Tahiliani’s upbringing was influenced by European methods and he had a natural inclination towards art. Upon his return from the States, Tahiliani joined the family business, selling oil-field equipment. But that failed to satisfy the creative in him. In 1987, Tahiliani and his wife Sailaja co-founded Ensemble, a multi-brand fashion boutique that introduced luxury retail to Bombay. The racks featured four Indian and one American designer, along with Tahiliani’s own label, Ahilian. He then enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City and earned an associate degree. during this time, in September of 1994, he also held his first solo show, at the Dorchester Hotel in London where he was touted as the ‘Karl Lagerfeld of India’ by British fashion editor, Isabella “Be super glam, super sexy and yourself.” Blow. In 1995, he founded the Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio in Delhi. Tahiliani, along with six other designers and a businessman, came together in 1999 to form the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI). In 2003, Tahiliani also became the first Indian designer to showcase at Milan Fashion Week. His love for pastels and drapes remains a constant even at his recent India Couture Week 2023 showcase. The designer said “Drape is the most sexy, quintessential Indian thing and I love it. I’m here to do structured drapes and keep that tradition alive.” He also shared that the brand will be launching a book in October that captures how the brand has been inspired by different aspect of India and how Tahiliani has modernised them in a contemporary way. Vikram Pawah An IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Pawah has incomparable experience in the luxury automobile industry, having worked with Honda, Harley Davidson and BMW for the past two decades and more. He has been with the BMW group since 2017, where he joined as the President, left for two years as the CEO of BMW group Australia and New Zealand, and took up the role of CEO and President BMW India from August 2020. Pawah loves Barcelona and coastal towns in Basque Country for its culture, art, food and vibes. Found on Friday with his favourite beer, Mondays will however find him in a different avatar, “waiting to make a dent in the universe.” “Luxury is responsible consumption of what one aspires for. It is all about self-expression.” President and CEO, BMW Group India 14 | | 15
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTcxNzM1