When it comes to showcasing the grandeur of Indian weaves and craftsmanship, Tarun Tahiliani always has an ace up his sleeve. This year at the Hyundai India Couture Week, Tarun moved beyond the conventional runway to present Bespoke Couture 2026 at Bikaner House. The showcase was an immersive journey through the house’s design philosophy through a series of live presentations and engaging environments that celebrated the artistry, innovation and craftsmanship behind every creation.
The show opened with Ang (a Hindi word for body), a conceptual exploration of the human form through sculpted couture worn by twenty models. Layers of padding, hand construction and meticulous tailoring carved the contours of the body, revealing collarbones, shoulder blades, the subtle curve of the navel and the quiet definition of the torso. While the techniques drew upon the precision of European corsetry and tailoring, the body they celebrate was distinctly steeped in Indian aesthetics, embracing its natural proportions and nuances. The bodices were soft and flexible, allowing the wearer complete freedom of movement. Later, the guests witnessed a curated journey across the atelier, showcasing the unseen processes, textile traditions, architectural inspirations and contemporary innovations that define the label’s India Modern philosophy.
“For years, the runway has been the natural home of couture, but I’ve often felt its finest details disappear in motion. With Bespoke Couture 2026, we wanted people to come closer, to slow down, and to experience the craftsmanship behind every garment. The techniques that define our atelier are centuries old, but the way we present them should continue to evolve. Technology isn’t here to replace craftsmanship, but to honour it, amplify it and bring people closer to it. That, to me, is India Modern,” says Tarun, as he takes us through the details of the couture collection.
By shifting to a living, immersive format at Bikaner House, how did the audience’s emotional connection to the garments change, and do you see this as the permanent future for couture presentations?
For me, the most important shift was giving people the time to actually experience couture. The runway is beautiful and theatrical, but it is also fleeting. You see a garment for a few seconds and then it disappears. At Bikaner House, people could pause, come closer, study the embroidery, understand the construction and discover details that would otherwise be lost. That changes the relationship completely. Couture becomes less about spectacle and more about intimacy, craftsmanship and emotion. I don’t think the future has to be either the runway or the immersive format. I see it as an expansion of what couture can be. The runway will always have its place, but there is something incredibly powerful about allowing people to experience the work at a human pace.
By dissolving the traditional physical gap between the garment and the viewer, how did you balance the need for high-end couture exclusivity with this physical intimacy?
I don’t believe exclusivity has to come from distance. True luxury comes from the depth of what you are looking at. The idea was never to make couture feel accessible in a casual sense, but to make the craftsmanship accessible to the eye. When you bring the viewer closer, you actually reveal how extraordinary the garment is, including the handwork, the construction, the precision and the hours behind it. For me, that intimacy makes couture more precious, not less. You begin to understand that every piece represents hundreds of hours of craftsmanship and the accumulated knowledge of generations of artisans.
The conceptual bodices in this collection blend the strict, rigid precision of European corsetry with a celebration of the natural, softer proportions of the Indian form. What were the biggest structural and tailoring challenges in making these sculpted pieces feel completely weightless and flexible for the modern wearer?
The challenge is always to create a structure without making the woman feel structured. I have always been interested in the dialogue between the corset and the Indian body — the precision of construction meeting the softness and sensuality of our proportions. The garment has to hold its architectural quality while allowing the body to move, breathe and exist naturally within it. That requires an enormous amount of experimentation in pattern cutting, internal construction, placement and balance. The objective is never simply to sculpt the body; it is to create a second skin that feels effortless. That tension between engineering and ease is very much at the heart of what I do.
How do you decide which heritage crafts are ready to be re-contextualised into contemporary silhouettes without losing their cultural soul?
I don’t think of heritage as something that needs to be preserved behind glass. Heritage has always evolved. The question is whether you understand the craft deeply enough before you reinterpret it. You have to respect where it comes from, understand the hand and the technique, and then find a reason for it to exist today. For us, this is central to India Modern. We work with centuries-old textile traditions and artisanal practices, but place them in a contemporary conversation. Innovation shouldn’t erase heritage; it should give it another life.
How do you see fashion style changing in the next few years when it comes to wedding couture?
Wedding couture is already moving away from the idea that grandeur must mean excess. I think the next evolution will be towards greater individuality, ease and personal expression. The bride and groom want to feel like themselves, not like they are playing a prescribed role. There will still be incredible craftsmanship and ceremony, but silhouettes will become more considered, more versatile and more connected to the wearer’s personality. For me, that is what contemporary Indian couture should do. It should honour the occasion without overwhelming the individual.
How do you see the choices of a would-be bride and groom to evolve over a couple of years?
I think they will become much more discerning. They will ask not only, “How does this look?” but “How does this feel? Does this represent me? Will I want to wear this again? Is there something meaningful behind the craft?” We are already seeing a move towards pieces that can live beyond one photograph or one ceremony. Brides and grooms are becoming more interested in craftsmanship, provenance, comfort and individuality. Ultimately, I think the future is about personal luxury rather than prescribed luxury.
Tell us about your upcoming collection.
For me, it is always about taking the richness of our heritage—our textiles, techniques, craftsmanship and placing it in a contemporary context. That conversation between heritage and the present is something I don’t think ever really ends. The next collection is another opportunity to look at that relationship but differently, while keeping the craft and the hand at the centre of the work.