In the competitive yet booming landscape of Indian fashion, menswear designer Kunal Anil Tanna stands out for his seamless fusion of structured designs and intricate detailing.
Kunal Anil Tanna’s eponymous label embodies a design philosophy that strikes a perfect balance between classic elegance and modern sophistication. Rooted in minimalism, the brand creates collections that are both chic and sharp, resonating with a fashion-forward clientele. Kunal’s pieces are known for their stylishly constructed silhouettes, where meticulous texturing and intricate detailing play a pivotal role in enhancing the overall aesthetic.
One of the label’s defining strengths is its mastery of colour mixing. Kunal’s ability to blend hues adds an additional layer of depth to his minimal designs, making each piece a statement in its own right.
Kunal’s journey in fashion started early, driven by a natural affinity for the industry. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Management, he transitioned into fashion design through a degree acquired from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Mumbai. His talent was quickly recognised, earning him ‘The Best Designer’ award at the national level for his graduating collection in 2005.
His early career trajectory saw him hone his skills under the mentorship of renowned designer and stylist Manish Malhotra, where he absorbed essential insights into the intricacies of running a fashion business. After four years of gaining valuable industry experience, Kunal launched his eponymous label, Kunal Anil Tanna, a brand that reflects his distinct design ethos.
“I graduated in Management Studies from Mumbai and being from a textile business family, fabrics, garments have always surrounded me since birth actually. My father, grandfather have been in the business, so I would say fabrics are a part of my bloodline,” Kunal Anil Tanna, Founder of Kunal Anil Tanna label, told Apparel Resources in an exclusive interview.
PRODUCT ASSORTMENT, PRICING AND TARGET MARKET
Kunal Anil Tanna’s menswear label is designed for the modern man who likes to express himself via fashion that reflects self-awareness and quiet confidence. The collections are contemporary and stylish, without being overly experimental, making them ideal for individuals who enjoy playing with their personal style while remaining grounded in classic aesthetics.
“We belong to a time where it’s not area-specific, we’re all part of the global market. It’s not demographic specific. As mentioned, the label is for the contemporary man who appreciates Indian fashion,” Kunal explained.
Kunal Anil Tanna’s clientele spans the globe, comprising individuals who are conscious of their style and seek sophisticated attire for various events. These discerning customers have a keen appreciation for minimalism, rich textures and classic fashion, embodying the philosophy that ‘less is too much’.
TECHNIQUES AND DETAILS
At Kunal Anil Tanna, the commitment to innovation is evident season after season as the brand continually experiments with new textures and techniques. One of the hallmarks of Kunal’s design philosophy is the art of layering. This involves intricate processes such as couching yarns— which involves interlacing them with precision and detailing them with exquisite hand embroidery.
Furthermore, the label proudly embraces Indian textiles and handlooms, weaving them together to create cohesive and striking ensembles.
| The label is divided into various menswear segments, ranging from casual yet polished kurtas starting at Rs.14,000 to intricately crafted sherwanis that are priced onwards of Rs.1,00,000. Each piece is meticulously designed, with pricing reflecting the level of craftsmanship and effort involved in creating the ensemble. |
Over the years, Kunal Anil Tanna’s label has cultivated a distinct identity focused around its USP – which has come to be known as its innovative play on textures. The brand expertly reinterprets classic styles and silhouettes, adapting them for the modern man with painstaking attention to detail. Each texture is meticulously crafted in-house, allowing for the creation of one-of-a-kind standout styles that resonate with contemporary aesthetics.
This dedication to texture and craftsmanship enables the label to offer an extensive range of options tailored specifically for the contemporary Indian man and it is this very commitment to quality and originality that sets the label apart from other brands in the market.
MATERIALS, MANUFACTURING AND SOURCING
Founded over a decade ago, Kunal Anil Tanna’s label has been steadily building its presence in the fashion industry. With a dedicated and hardworking team working entirely in-house located out of Mumbai, India — encompassing design, production and merchandising — the brand has established a strong foundation.
The label draws its inspiration from India’s rich tapestry of lifestyles, cultures and textiles – a legacy that spans centuries. Each collection begins with a focus on fabric development and ideation, as Kunal sources materials from renowned textile hubs such as Kutch, Gujarat and Banaras. The brand incorporates jacquard and silk brocades, alongside embroidered pieces from various regions across India, ensuring that each collection reflects the country’s diverse craftsmanship and heritage.
| India is a very versatile market and initially fashion was only considered to be for the elite who could afford luxury but in the recent past, designers have strived to make luxury at more affordable prices. Today, the mentality of people has shifted from only saving to also living and experiencing. |
Commenting on the brand’s sourcing strategies, Kunal said, “We truly appreciate and are inspired by various Indian crafts. We generally source from Banaras, Bengaluru, Kutch-Gujarat, Trivandrum-Kerala, Tirupur. We also source from Ludhiana. We use our sourcing facilities depending on the need of our collection. The eventual production and final construction is done in-house, so the quality is top-notch but we do source from all over India.”
Being an ardent admirer of hand-woven textiles, jacquard and variation fabrics, Kunal’s fabric choices tilt towards the best India has to its credit. Stemming from a family deeply rooted in the textile business for generations, Kunal’s brother plays a pivotal role in developing fabrics each season, serving as a significant source of inspiration for Kunal’s fabric sourcing.
The brand endeavours to incorporate different textiles season after season, with chanderi being the designer’s personal favourite. This understated yet elegant weave aligns perfectly with Kunal Anil Tanna’s design philosophy, reflecting the brand’s commitment to timeless sophistication.
COLLECTION AND RANGE PLANNING
Kunal Anil Tanna introduces seasonal collections throughout the year, with the Spring/Summer line embodying a fun and easy-breezy aesthetic. The brand offers a range of edits and versions, including a customised segment tailored for Western influencers, alongside an Indian-focused design edit meant for summer and winter festivities – weddings in particular – from February to May.
As the wedding season approaches, preparations begin with an August festive edit, followed by a September festive line, leading up to the launch of a more extensive editorial collection, which is often pegged at a higher price bracket. This larger collection generally features options that are segregated into two mini capsule collections: one emphasising innovative design to satisfy Kunal’s creative vision and the other that specifically caters to grooms preparing for their special day.
| The label proudly embraces Indian textiles and handlooms, weaving them together to create cohesive and striking ensembles. The brand incorporates chanderi, jacquard and silk brocades, alongside embroidered pieces from various regions across India, ensuring that each collection reflects the country’s diverse craftsmanship and heritage. |
The label boasts an online presence on prominent multi-brand platforms in India and abroad, including Aza, Vesimi, Ogaan and Pernia, ensuring accessibility to a broader audience.
Recently relocating to the vibrant fashion hub of Kala Ghoda, the label is poised for expansion into other fashion-forward cities pan-India, including Hyderabad, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Raipur. This strategic growth plan aims to elevate the brand’s visibility and reach, allowing it to connect with a broader audience while maintaining its commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
AR: What strategies does Kunal Anil Tanna label employ to make menswear fashion more affordable for a broader audience without compromising on quality?KAT: I believe in menswear, there are a few points that are essential. One of them is quality and at Kunal Anil Tanna, that is one thing we don’t compromise on at all. We try to produce everything in-house to keep the quality intact, so the product we offer to the client is top-notch and something that I would wear myself. As far as price points are concerned, to make it extremely affordable, it’s a sense of luxury, premium elegance that is offered at a price that even I can afford or buy. At the risk of sounding exclusive, our garments are not a one-time wear and throw, they are classics and the wearability factor is what makes them affordable more than the price. But we have made sure to take a look at the angle of sustainability and use cost-effective methods to make our outfits much more accessible to our clients. AR: What unique business strategies has the Kunal Anil Tanna label implemented to stand out in the highly competitive industry?KAT: The fact that I have business education and I come from a business family, I think my key focus every time I design a collection is the price point. A statutory guideline is that the product needs to be of a certain quality, but at the same time, it should come at a price point that allures the client to buy the ensemble. I would rather have them buy more and come back to us. We also incorporate pieces that are so versatile that a certain jacket or kurta can be worn and reworn on various occasions. The price point and the versatility of the garments are the two main things in my mind when I design a collection. AR: What, according to you, is driving consumption in fashion categories in the Indian market?KAT: India is a very versatile market and initially fashion was only considered to be for the elite who could afford luxury but in the recent past, designers have strived to make luxury at more affordable prices. Also, I feel the mentality of people has shifted from only saving to also living and experiencing. A lot of them want to be aspirational and want to have an ownership of luxury products – this is what increases the desire for fashion in the Indian landscape. The Indian man has become more experimental and aware of colours, styles. Even pink is worn by men nowadays and this experimenting has really driven consumption in the market. AR: What is your take on the consumer’s shift in perception from quantity to quality?KAT: I believe that since the early 2000s when the internet came in, people have been very aware of things and have taken keen interest, kept themselves updated with trends, with new possibilities, with experimentation. This is something that has improved the whole consumer perception. People have understood and are well aware of what they need – fabric options, techniques of embroideries, finishing, fittings of the garment. We don’t live in an age when a son is wearing his father’s jacket. He would definitely want it to fit well. Understanding this has changed the perception from quantity to quality and today, clients want to look and feel a certain appeal that comes only from a certain quality – be it any commodity, not only clothes! AR: What is your personal vision for the future of Kunal Anil Tanna label and what is the impact you aspire to make within the realm of Indian fashion and apparel?KAT: The label, since its inception, was always focused on quality and quality at a price that people can conveniently afford. Obviously there is a cost involved because we painstakingly make sure that the tailoring is of impeccable quality, the product we deliver comes at a cost. But keeping a check on that price point is something that we do season after season and I would like to continue with it in future as we want our customers to come back and shop time and again. Besides, I feel the label has established itself owing to its unique textures and it is something that I enjoy doing personally – minimalism but with a lot of intricate detailing. |
