Tarun Tahiliani Reimagines A Hand Painted Silk Panel Into A Couture Jacket
Last Updated:July 27, 2025, 13:56 IST
Tarun Tahiliani collaborated with British heritage wallcovering brand, de Gournay for his Hyundai India Couture Week 2025 showcase.
Inspired by de Gournay’s chinoiserie wallcoverings, Tarun Tahiliani created a design layout of peony flowers growing up the jacket.
Tarun Tahiliani collaborated with de Gournay, a British heritage brand creating the world’s finest handmade wallcoverings, for his Hyundai India Couture Week 2025 showcase, Quintessence.
For this show, de Gournay created a bespoke suite of 22 ‘Early Views of India’ panels, hand-painted on Ivory Indian Tea Paper, that took more than 120 hours to produce. The highlight of this collaboration was the one-of-a-kind couture jacket which was crafted from a hand-painted custom silk panel.
Hannah Cecil-Gurney, director, de Gournay, shares with News18 the inspiration behind the meticulously crafted hand painted panels and couture jacket, collaborating for the first time with an Indian fashion designer and blending couture and art at Hyundai India Couture Week 2025.
Describe the bespoke suite of ‘Early Views of India’ panels that are designed for Tarun Tahiliani’s showcase.
Our ‘Early Views of India’ wallcovering design is inspired by a set of hand coloured aquatints published in the late 18th and early 19th century by Royal Academician Thomas Daniell and his nephew William. These aquatints gave the British public a window into the exotic sub-continent for the first time.
Such insights sparked a cult fascination amongst the British for Indian design and architecture. Our design is a magnificent scene of exploration and includes a fascinating record of Indian landscapes, wildlife and original architecture: with Howdah backed and cloth capped Elephants ferrying people amidst palm forests and flowing rivers. When Tarun and I met several months ago, he was telling me that he had his own collection of 19th century aquatints in his home in Delhi. This wallcovering, inspired by these very aquatints, therefore felt like the most perfect choice.
Tarun Tahiliani has reimagined a hand-painted custom silk panel into a one of a kind couture jacket. Take us through the process in creating the art.
Tarun and I met in London several months ago. We both share a passion for exceptional craftsmanship and a love for creating beautiful design. Our brands have so many synergies that it felt like a perfect match. We produce beautiful silks and Tarun loved the quality of our fabrics but also the way we are able to hand paint them so delicately. Inspired by some of our chinoiserie wallcoverings, Tarun created a design layout of peony flowers growing up the jacket and he selected a wonderful soft colour palette in which we interpreted the design.
What crafts were introduced in this couture jacket?
Pure silk is hand dyed and the design is then painted entirely by hand onto the silk. Tarun’s team then embellished the hand painted silk with gemstones so that the peony flowers would catch the light in the most lovely way.
Describe blending couture and art on a platform like India Couture Week.
People who love fashion, love design and therefore interiors. The two industries are inextricably linked. People use what they wear, and how they decorate their homes as a form of personal expression. Bringing the two together always feels very natural. Seeing Tarun’s beautifully crafted couture set against a background of hand painted wallcovering creates a magical world for people to enjoy.
This is the first time you have collaborated with an Indian designer. How was the experience and what memories through art have you taken back after this collaboration?
Tarun has such a deep knowledge of fabrics, colours and patterns. Getting to work with him has been an honour. He has brought a fresh and unique perspective to our work and we are so excited to see how it is received in India.
Hyundai India Couture Week in association with Reliance Brands, a Fashion Design Council of India initiative is on till July 30 in New Delhi.
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