How Taroob is leveraging tradition to create a modern luxury Indian brand
Established in 2020, Indian fashion brand Taroob is reviving old textile traditions to create contemporary collections for a global audience, with a focus on legacy craftsmanship and artisan details.
Known for its curated range of handcrafted shawls, capes, Nehru jackets and co-ords, the brand exports its products to the United States and Europe, and sells online in India.
A major part of Taroob’s success is its use of Kalamkari and Kashmiri embroidery techniques.
Kalamkari was on the verge of disappearing due to the complexity of the patterns and the lack of skilled craftsmen, but Taroob is helping to revive this art form, and its skilled artisans are keeping the legacy of Kalamkari alive and well.
The story so far
According to Taroob’s co-founder Sanchit Anand, the main challenge he faced initially was the mindset of suppliers, who tended to ignore quality checks for export orders.
“It gets cumbersome to educate everyone involved in the process how important it is to ensure we follow the exact same quality checks and parameters whether it’s domestic or an export shipment,” he told Inside Retail.
Anand has a vision to make Taroob not just a luxury brand in India, but also to take luxury Indian textiles to the wider world.
He believes that the company’s vast experience in exports will help it to modernise traditional techniques and adopt more globally accepted colour pallets too.
Epitomising elegance
Taroob is well known for its collections of scarves, shawls, ponchos and capes.
“If you come across our capes and Nehru jackets you can very well see a glimpse of Indian arts of Kalamkari and Kashmiri embroideries being used vividly across these modern silhouettes,” he explained.
He said this has always given the company an edge as these techniques are hard to master and its skilled workforce provides an upper hand in maintaining this serene balance.
Sustainability is key
The company has also maintained a strong focus on sustainability and high-quality fabrics. According to Anand, for the brand’s summer collection, lightweight scarves, kimonos and kaftans are all eco-friendly.
“We do that by using organic and BCI [Better Cotton Initiative cotton and Ecovera [sustainably produced viscose] in these products. All our products are shipped in our beautiful gift box packing and we use recycled paper, making our contribution to the environment,” he added.
The brand goes above and beyond to ensure a personal touch is in place with its exclusive packaging.
“We ship all our products in our attractive gift box packing which gives the customer a sense of buying a gift for herself or himself. We offer customised gifting sleeves and thank you cards for weddings, Diwali celebrations and corporate orders, too,” he noted.
Anand added that the company is always looking for innovative ways to expand its horizons and reach out to new clients.
“With Taroob, we have always tried to cultivate an environment of continuous innovation, whether it’s designs, colours, or silhouettes,” he said.
For each of its products, Taroob aims to incorporate an Indian story or narrative. For example, its Pichwai Ras-Leela shawls are inspired by the epic tale of Lord Krishna’s Ras-Leela.
“Our Mughal Darbar capes and shawls speak highly of the rich cultural heritage of the Mughal Dynasty. We are on the continuous lookout on how we can revive these brilliant forgotten arts in a promising manner,” he elaborated.
The future
Anand’s goal is to make Taroob an Indian luxury artwear brand to keep India’s rich cultural and traditional heritage alive.
Interestingly, he acknowledged that Gen Z and millennials are the dominant consumer groups of the moment, and the brand’s target market.
“Keeping that in mind, we ensure vibrant colours and modern aesthetics even in the simplest of the silhouettes, such as a shawl or a Nehru jacket, which makes them outstanding at any occasion,” he stressed.
According to Statista, the ethnic wear segment across India was worth approximately 925 billion rupees (US$11.3 billion) in 2018 and is estimated to reach a whopping 1.7 trillion rupees (US$20.7 billion) in 2023.
Anand aims to position the company at the top end of this whopping market, as he believes the brand brings a high level of quality and sophistication to its designs.
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