Tarun Tahiliani breaks silence on backlash against Team India’s Olympics uniforms: 'It is not a couture show’

Prominent and popular fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani, who faced criticism for the Indian contingent’s costume at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has defended his designs, which include basic kurta sets & sarees adorned with digital prints and tricolour patterns and said, ‘It is not a couture show’.

“This is what we Indians wear, and this is not meant to be a couture show,” said Tarun while talking to NDTV. The designer asserted that it was time to focus on medals and told India Today, “I stand by these uniforms,” adding, “It was not my decision to put the ladies in sarees at the last minute, but still I wanted a cohesion between the flag and uniforms, and I stand by them.”

“The flotilla down the seinne is long over. Many industrialists who were there have asked me to make this uniform for them. A difference of opinion is totally fine,” he added.

Following the backlash, Tasva, a brand of Aditya Birla Group, which has Tarun as the chief design officer, released an official statement, which read, “We at Tasva by Tarun Tahiliani are aware of the comments doing the rounds but would request your consideration and support on the following. We did not aim for haute couture; our focus was on creating functional and comfortable uniforms for our athletes. We are proud and gratified by the positive feedback we’ve received, especially from the athletes themselves. We recognise that in a diverse country like India, opinions will vary, and we welcome all perspectives. Our ultimate goal remains to represent India with dignity and pride on the global stage. We at Tasva feel that the best way to represent the country is the tricolor. And we feel that when the athletes wore the tricolor designs and sailed past the Seine River, it was a powerful imagery and a very proud moment for all us Indians.”