'Dealing with the government...': Designer Tarun Tahiliani says 2024 Paris Olympics uniforms were 'rushed'

Tarun Tahiliani, PV Sindhu Pic/Instagram, X

Designer Tarun Tahiliani-owned TASVA was responsible for the 2024 Paris Olympics ceremonial outfits worn by Indian athletes. The men wore kurta bundi sets while the women donned matching saris, reflecting India's tricolour flag. The outfits featured traditional ikat-inspired prints and Banarasi brocade. However, as pictures of the ensembles surfaced online, Tarun was brutally trolled.

Reacting to the same, Tarun, who presented his collection at the India Couture Week 2024 told India Today that it was a little more rushed.

He said, "Dealing with the government means there are committees. Then there were elections and there was a new sports minister. Although the Indian Olympic Association was very sweet, PT Usha (IOA President) was amazing. But then the athletes were all over India, and so we couldn't get measurements. There was no fitting. I just designed it to look like a simple, clean look. I wanted the athletes to match the tricolour. Every country practically marches behind their flag. So, I wanted it to be simple, easy and cool. It's not a couture show. It's not a wedding. Let's talk about medals and ensure our teams are comfortable," he added.

On the flak he received for the work, the designer added, "I am very democratic. So when I sit with my design assistants and people who are fitting, we take feedback. But if it looks really beautiful to me, I have some hits and some misses. You get a skill after 10,000 hours of doing something, and I think that's really what's happening. Now if it's criticised, it's criticised. It's not changing my life."

Meanwhile, in a historic move, Tarun Tahiliani's show at the India Couture Week was presented twice on the same day. This decision, a first in fashion history, was made to accommodate the overwhelming demand from the audience that could not all be seated for the initial presentation at The Ashok, Delhi.

Speaking about his collection, he said, "Imagine being enveloped in a cocoon- feeling safe, cared for, and in complete harmony with your body and transcending into a new phase of your beauty. To me, that is the world I aspire to create through our couture. ‘Otherworldly,' is a journey into a realm where comfort and ethereal beauty coexist seamlessly."

(With inputs from Agencies)