Tina Tahiliani Parikh: Before fashion weeks, we were the fashion weeks!

At the outset, fashion was the farthest thing on her mind. In fact, she used to look down upon it. Tina’s mother was an engineer and she wanted to follow in her mom’s academic footsteps. She studied Sciences and became an investment banker. However, “destiny and the power of the universe” led her into the style landscape and she osmosed Ensemble (started in 1987 by Tarun Tahiliani, his wife Sal and designer Rohit Khosla) with her business grandees and gimlet-eyed focus.

Brother Tarun wanted to focus on his own label and she took charge of the store. “Strangely, life brought me back here, Tarun went to Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York and I was exposed to so many beautiful, amazing things, not just in fashion business, but also Indian crafts, saris, the Calico Museum of Textiles, etc,” she says.  

It was the ’80s polyester phase and India was in quest for everything foreign. However, there was this wealth of contemporary talent that Mrs Parikh had been watching and realised that the country never had the space to actually celebrate it. That was the thought behind the phenomenon called Ensemble. 

This month, the store’s rarefied Kala Ghoda outlet was relaunched with new sections devoted to exclusive bridal-wear; contemporary; Indian luxe; accessories and menswear, alongside dedicated spaces for designers Anamika Khanna and Tarun Tahiliani. 

Did she anticipate such a success? “A lot of thought and passion goes into curating the collections. In India, it’s very easy to take consignments from designers and get anything. But we really struggle about what we put on the rack. We’re happy and proud to do that. Did we ever foresee such a success? No, we didn’t.”

A majority of leading designers in India today have been Tina’s discoveries. One can’t help but ask her — Does she consider herself as India’s very own Anna Wintour? “I do not see myself like that at all. Nobody understands this but internationally, say in Milan, most business is done before fashion week and fashion week is more about PR and networking. We are slogging through it. Honestly, I’d like to go for a few more shows, but I physically can’t, because my day is so packed.” If she harbours a special relationship with a designer or whether she feels it’s something worth to watch out for, she makes an exception. Otherwise she’s taking stock in the stalls and writing orders.

What I look for

“It depends — whether it’s an established designer that we’re already working with — or a newcomer. If it’s an up-and-coming individual, then the most important thing I look for is — the original voice. Because everything in a way is done and that’s what’s exciting about our store. When women were in long gowns, crinolines and corsets, Chanel said why shouldn’t it be comfortable and she invented the little black dress and the jacket. It’s not that I’m looking for huge sociological shifts. I’m aiming at just a fresh take and an original point of view. I’m in quest for high quality. Even if it’s a great idea but if it’s cut wrongly and not flattering on the body, then that’s no fun. It’s a couple of things. It’s a gut reaction. Now it’s become much harder. In the past, I could say, ‘it wasn’t good but let me watch one more season’ and now, thanks to social media, everything is everywhere. We had the benefit of launching 85 to 90 per cent of top designers in the country but today you’re sitting on that edge because if you may want to wait for another season, you may not have the luxury of unveiling that label or discovering that new style,” she says.

Chaotic fashion space

Tina observes that it’s a chaotic fashion space and honestly, there’s not much new happening at this moment. “There was this big anti-fit wave. My message to young designers is — to begin with, really be convinced about your point of view and stick your neck out. Pero, for instance, took masculine fabrics and crafted it all together with the seams and brass button detailing. She put her point-of-view out with a lot of conviction. Be humble in the beginning and say, ‘I want to learn something new everyday about this business’. Ask a lot of questions. Try and find a mentor but come up with your own voice and take your own time. Be wise about the decisions you take. What numbers to make, how to price, the right way to promote yourself, think it through and be passionate about what you do. Indian women or women from anywhere in the world, look for the next new thing. I have seen the customers, they don’t have that much loyalty. Really do your homework, take it slow in the beginning, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and honestly, you’ll get many chances.”  

Before fashion weeks, we were the fashion weeks

“In retail, you cannot underestimate the value of right stock management. You can get killed if your stocks are wrong. We really work on our selections. Every piece is tried on, we change necklines and sometimes colours. There’s a real commitment to the product. We have been very committed to our customers but we’ve also faced times, like when there was this terrible Bollywood phase eight to 10 years ago. Honestly, we couldn’t relate to it — when everything was shining and sequinned. We’ve had our ups and downs but I don’t know what to say. It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of loving what we do. We have a great young team. So often a brand requires an exciting injection so we have periodically done it. In some ways, we’ve been very lucky, we’ve had a beginner’s advantage. Before fashion weeks, we were the fashion weeks. People would come to our annual show to see what are the trends for this year. We were blessed.”    

Intimidating store vibe

Ensemble always exudes a rarefied vibe, which can intimidate even the most seasoned shopper. When I share this feedback with Tina, she’s taken aback. “The manager of our Lion’s Gate store joined as our assistant before I had my son. Now my son is 21. She’s the warmest, sweetest and most adorable person in the world.” Was there a cultivated strategy to ensure only a certain clientele walks in? “I think we got to make a huge effort. I am the most chilled and relaxed person. You have to see me at work — I’m in my Birkenstocks and glasses. I’m a wreck. Today, I wore a jacket and combed my hair because I was meeting you,” she smiles.

Tarun and I

Tina and Tarun meet once a month and review and give each other a lot of advice. “I will not interfere in what he does, but I’ll tell him what I think and vice versa. Tarun and I are joint at the hip. We lost our mom when we were really young. He was a great older brother. We have many overlapping traits but we are very different in many ways. I’ve always been inspired by his vision. Back in the day, everyone went to a darzi and when you went abroad, it was cool to buy GAP t-shirts. No one would shop at Kala Ghoda, it was like the meat packing district. All the shopping happened in Breach Candy and Nepean Sea Road. Twenty years before Narendra Modi, Tarun talked about Make In India with clothes, textiles, accessories, turbans and drapes. He’s a visionary. I have certain qualities which have helped me in business. I think he sometimes watches me. He doesn’t have the patience. I will take any project to the last end of thoroughness. I’ll do it once in a while but when I do it, I’ll kick ass. We both watch each other. He reads a lot and keeps sending me articles. Last year we embarked on a 10-day meditation retreat. This year, we also went microlighting in South Africa. There was a time when we would talk about work all the time. It’s become much better now,” she shares.

Tackling imitations

When I ask Tina about the blatant copies floating around and how much does that bother her, she agrees that there are no barriers to entry. “You could be someone in a garage in Delhi with four tailors and you can become a designer. You can rip off anyone. In India, you can get anything done. If anyone shows us things which look like other designers, we never take it. We have to help our designers, aid them liquidate stocks and preserve their own design integrity. They’re investing in R&D, figuring out all these techniques and someone comes and rips it off and they don’t have those overheads and selling it for half the price. We’re very careful. Customers don’t care. However, we feel there are certain non-negotiable things. I have seen so many designers go to court, but there’s no intellectual property protection,” she says.

A guilty mother

“I’m a very conscientious mother, but then I was also a very guilty mother. I used to feel very bad when I was not at home when my kids would come back home from school. It’s taken me many years to get over that. I work very hard, I don’t do a lot of things I love to do. Now my son is in college and the daughter has also started going to college. Now I’m going to start doing that. You can be a career woman if you cut out a lot of other stuff. The key is to focus, delegate and develop a great team. At times, I’m so exhausted that I read five pages of a book at night and fall asleep. I fall sick quite often because I think I push myself. However, If I had to rewrite it, I’d do it the same way. I love what I do. I love going sourcing to designer studios. I love people who I work with. But at the same time, I’m able to keep the balance and focus on the administration and finance.”  

Tina has been doing a lot of Buddhist chanting for the last seven years. “I feel it helped me focus and understand. Guilt is a very negative emotion and I feel it’s helped me in the last few years — brought things into perspective,” she confesses.  

Today, Tina’s kids are like her friends and she discusses work with them. “They know what’s going on, have been with me through this crazy journey and every night, they ask what’s happening and what’s traumatising me,” she adds.

My husband...

Tina’s was a love marriage and she was introduced to husband Vinay by Tarun. “He does asset management. He’s extremely bright and very low-key. He’s kept me incredibly grounded. His mother has this collection of saris like the Calico Museum of Textiles. I’ve learnt so much from him and his family and it’s helped me so much in my work,” she says with a hint of pride.