Brands
Tahiliani’s OTT season 2: A right royal remix, where reinvention reigns supreme
MUMBAI: Tarun Tahiliani’s OTT has returned to Lakmé Fashion Week with season 2, and frankly, it’s a bit of a belter. This ain’t your average frock parade, mind you; it’s a masterclass in multi-wear magic, where fluidity and versatility are the name of the game. Tahiliani’s philosophy? Reinvention, darling, reinvention.
The show kicked off with a flourish of draped silhouettes and layered separates, setting the tone for a collection that’s both elegant and, dare we say, rather clever. Models, those stylish shape-shifters, demonstrated the collection’s adaptability by restyling pieces live on the runway, proving that one garment can indeed be many. A clever mix of new bits and archive classics reinforced OTT’s commitment to a sustainable, timeless wardrobe, which is rather sensible, isn’t it?
Indian and western influences collided in a distinctly India modern mash-up. Draped gilets, fluid dresses, structured jackets, and layered separates offered a sensual, bohemian vibe that catered to all ages. Light, effortless, and versatile, season 2 championed a modern approach to dressing, where thoughtful design means endless possibilities.
At the collection’s core lies a deep respect for heritage craftsmanship. Hand-embroidered chikankari got a contemporary makeover, while rabari craft was revived with vintage replicas and fresh, archive-inspired designs. The Singh Twins’ geometric prints, a blast from Tahiliani’s 2015 past, made a triumphant return in a delicate summer palette of ecru, blush, sage, and taupe, rendered on luxurious linens, chanderi, georgette, organza and jersey.
“This collection speaks to the multifaceted urban woman,” said Tarun Tahiliani, “Her wardrobe is evolving as she moves through life, accumulating pieces that reflect her journey and achievements. The act of buying fashion transforms into a deeply personal statement of self-expression.”
As that old romantic, John Keats, once said, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
And Tahiliani’s OTT season 2? Well, it’s certainly a joy to behold, proving that fashion can be both a playground and a treasure trove.
Brands
Rakesh Menon joins Paytm as avp – lending
Fintech product leader takes on new role after building digital lending, payments and credit products across fintech ecosystem
MUMBAI: Rakesh Menon has joined Paytm as assistant vice president – lending, taking on a new role focused on strengthening the company’s lending and credit products.
Prior to this, Menon worked at Profectus Capital Pvt Ltd as chief manager – payments based financing and digital lending.
At Profectus, he designed and launched digital credit products for merchants with variable cash flows, including overdraft-linked and revenue-share lending models. He led end-to-end LOS–LMS API integrations with payment partners and aggregators, enabling real-time underwriting, disbursal and repayment workflows.
He also worked on funnel optimisation initiatives using journey analytics, improving onboarding, KYC and disbursal conversion by 35 per cent. He developed ecosystem partnerships for transaction-data-based credit assessment and automated settlement systems, and collaborated with credit and data science teams to strengthen risk models and early delinquency detection.
Menon standardised partner onboarding and API frameworks, reducing go-live timelines by 40 per cent and improving digital scalability.
Before Profectus Capital, he worked at PayU as senior manager – presales lead – enterprise business from August 2022 to August 2023. He set up a national presales function for fintech and digital commerce clients, aligning solutions such as EMI, BNPL, BBPS and offer engines to merchant requirements.
He also helped improve conversion rates by around 15 per cent through merchant persona mapping, demo frameworks and structured sales playbooks, working closely with product and go-to-market teams.
From April 2019 to July 2022, Menon served as business unit head – SMB – direct acquisitions at Worldline, where he built the SMB online payments vertical from scratch. The business scaled to Rs 2,500 crore in annual transaction volume, growing at 45 per cent year-on-year.
During this period, he introduced paperless onboarding processes including eKYC and eSign, developed partner dashboards and CRM automation systems, and integrated platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce and Tally to expand merchant adoption.
Across roles, Menon has worked across digital lending, payments and merchant financing, with experience in product development, ecosystem partnerships, API integrations and fintech-led growth strategies.
At Paytm, he will focus on scaling lending products and strengthening digital credit infrastructure within the company’s financial services ecosystem.
His appointment comes as fintech firms continue to expand their lending and embedded finance offerings in a competitive market.
