Varanasi, Dec 10 (IANSlife): Targeting the premium menswear segment, Tarun Tahiliani and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) launch 'Tasva'.
The move comes within a year of the announcement made by ABFRL, wherein as part of its investment deal into the designer's label, it had committed to forming a new entity for a contemporary men's ethnic wear brand in which ABFRL holds 80 per cent stake and Tahiliani controls the remaining 20 per cent.
The holy city of Varanasi was the backdrop of the launch event which took place this Thursday. Models displayed the collection in the designers signature style made of premium fabrics at affordable prices. From Khadi to plush silks, the collection featured a range of traditional menswear garments including kurtas, sherwanis, bandhis and bandhgalas with a contemporary twist.
Taking a confident and aggressive step forward, ABFRL intends to set up 50 to 70 stores across the country within the year, positioning Tasva as the go to brand for menswear.
"Tasva is here to fulfil the niche in Indian menswear. It's a premium, quality and beautifully designed menswear label. Fit has always been of uttermost importance at the TT studio, combined with ABFRL's expertise in fabrics, factories, distribution and manufacturing it's time for us to clothe India with quality at an affordable price," said Tahiliani.
On picking the city of Benaras for the launch, the designer stated, "Benaras is the pillar of Indian textiles, and we have used a lot of Benarasi textiles. We have used a lot of Khadi, prints and knits as well. The aim is to dress Indian men, to free Indian men and to engage Indian men to effortlessly integrate Indian clothes into everyday life."
Ashish Dikshit, ABFRL's CEO stated, "It's a very proud day for us, both Tarun and ABFRL have put 18 months of blood, sweat and hard work into creating Tasva. Over a period of time, occasion wear has moved from Western suits or ethnic staples to Indo-Western and fusion wear with young men experimenting with styles and silhouettes, which made us think about the future. We want to showcase the very best of Tarun at a scale and at a price point that a large part of this country can afford, even while it's premium. We believe this is a great opportunity to change the way men dress and offer them alternatives which are very high quality, with the designer touch combined with beautifully crafted garments. It also aims to support the larger ecosystem of artisans and all the people coming together to make it happen. We are very proud and confident and intend to scale the brand at a very fast pace, growing it to 50 to 75 stores across the country within a year."
The partnership is in line with ABFRL's s strategy to craft a portfolio of brands that address the entire gamut of ethnic wear segments: value, premium and luxury.