Exploring The Towering Legacy Of JJ Valaya With The Man Himself

Opulence, attention to detail and unparalleled craftsmanship come to mind when considering JJ Valaya. He has been relevant for such a long period while maintaining an unmistakable brand ethos; it’s safe to say that he has mastered the art of constantly evolving with time while still staying true to his roots.

Having been a part of the Indian fashion community since its inception, he had a front-row seat to witness the gradually changing consumer landscape. His contribution to the Indian fashion scene is exemplary, and will forever be a case study.

In a chat with Manifest, JJ Valaya lets us into the inner workings of his creative mind.

In Conversation With JJ Valaya

Manifest: What has been the driving force for you after all these years to create? What inspires you every day?

JJ Valaya: The driving force is a very simple one. It is for the love of the work and the work that I do. And that has never ceased to diminish. And, by God's grace, it's perhaps only rising with every passing day. And I think when you love and adore the work you do, that forever quest to look forward to what you're going to create and put together, you know, as you move on is a massive motivation to keep creating. And, so that's it. I've never really waited for something to shake me out of my slumber. It's just there, and it's there simply because for the last 35 years, I've absolutely loved the work that I do.

M: In your own words, how have you evolved as a designer from when you started to when you presented your most recent collection?

JJV: Oh, life is a constant evolution. In fact, one must get very worried if you stop evolving. But it has to be an evolution, not a revolution. Because when you try and do something radically different, it might succeed once or twice. But in the long run, you'll struggle to keep up with the constant quest to do something different. So when people create brands, and if you look at all the credible brands around the world, they have a very well-thought-out identity and look. The DNA of every brand is clearly defined, and ours is no different. We've worked long. I've put it all together, and now I'm simply trying to take what I do to the nth level of perfection. And, you know, that's a journey which just continues, and it's meant to be enjoyed. If you look back and you see that you've moved forward or created something a little more special, you're on the right path. So I think the Indian wedding and all its grandeur will never ever lose its magic. And if the Indian wedding remains, the brides and grooms too, have to keep evolving and keep the spirit of the country alive.

M: What have been some of the major milestones in your journey as a designer?

JJV: There are lots of these. I mean, you can imagine in 35 years how many milestones one must have gone through. Life is a constant lesson, you know? All your ups and downs teach you a lot of things. But if I were to identify two things that, I think, defined my present, they would be two very disruptive decisions in my life. But these disruptions were responsible for creating all the good that has come into my life. So the first one was when I was studying to be a chartered accountant in Chandigarh, we're talking about the late eighties, and I knew that I did not want to do what I was doing. I was not sure as to what I wanted to do, but I was very clear as to what I didn't want to do. So I quit doing chartered accountancy without an idea of what I wanted to do. And then the magic of the universe unfolded and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) opened around the same time in Delhi. Somebody told me ‘You know, you paint so well. Why don't you go and see this institute which has opened?’ This was a time when fashion was unheard of in India and there was no industry. So one visit to NIFT, and I knew that this is where my, heart, soul, future, everything, existed and that's exactly what I did. So I pursued my dream and took a very hard call of dropping something which seemed very, solid, but I followed my heart and it paid off. The second decision was fairly recent, in 2017. I still remember right after our 25-year celebrations, I decided I wanted to go on a sabbatical for various reasons. I wanted to restructure the business and realign the way I was thinking for my brand. So I took a 2-year sabbatical and everybody thought that this was it. It's over. This brand is gone. But in 2019, I was back, and we did this amazing show, which I call ‘Version 2 of JJ Valaya’ in 2019. And it's been absolutely wonderful since then, and I think it was, again, one of my best decisions. So both the decisions were highly disruptive, but they led to very positive circumstances.

M: What would you consider to be your biggest failure or mistake in the journey?

JJV: Oh, no! This is a very difficult question to answer because most of us have realised that we are constantly learning in life and that mistakes are not mistakes. They're lessons and they are teachers. And if you're smart, you'll be a good student. If you are not a good student and decide that you want to follow in self-pity or blame someone else for some mistakes, well, then you're not gonna get a move on in life. So I don't think I can really figure out a few instances as with everyone's everyone's life. There have been several conquests and several failures, but they've all shaped me and, of course, the brand as we moved on.

M: Who should come to JJ Valaya’s atelier for their wedding dress?

JJV: Well, this has to be someone who is absolutely intellectually, and culturally modern. And this may seem like a strange kind of prerequisite, but I believe that people who have much more soul and who are not blind followers of fads or trends or Instagram Reels, for that matter, are people who think much more of everything that comes into their life, whether it's objects, people, home, relationships, everything. So we like people who are deep-thinking. We like people who are appreciative of history, culture, and craft. We like travelers. We like people who, absolutely connect with luxury and, who are connoisseurs of the finer things in life. I would say that's the person who should come to us because we create timeless luxury, which I feel is a true luxury because it passes down generations. And I cannot tell you the feeling I get when our brides from 25, 30 years back come today to us with their daughters who want their mothers wearing clothes or to their size. It's just another feeling.

M: Crafting a JJ Valaya outfit for a wedding can take months. What would be your advice for brides who are looking to wear an outfit designed by the label, in terms of when to come, what to know etc?

JJV: Well this depends on what they're interested in because a single piece can take anywhere between six to eight months to create. So one needs to plan accordingly. Then, of course, we have a line that can easily take up to three months to create. And then there’s something very new that we're gonna introduce shortly, which is called JJ Valaya Indi Chic. It’s a bridge between our JJV line and JJ Valaya Couture. So you have various options to choose from, but when it comes to brides, anything between, three to eight months prior to your wedding. Actually, I would add another month for fittings and all that.

M: We saw darker shades and black being prominent on the runway at your showcase for India Couture Week this time around. Can you tell us about this choice? Is black truly the colour of the wedding season?

JJV: Not really. As I said, I'm an evolutionary brand, not a revolutionary one. So as far as I'm concerned, subtle changes are happening in the landscape of Indian brides. Nothing radical, but they're there. And one has to kind of note what is going on. There was never an era where brides wore white to the wedding, but now they do. Black, during any function of the wedding, was considered taboo at one point in time. But today, in cocktails and receptions, it's well accepted. So change is continuous, and you can't live in the dark ages and, you know, believe in something that may have existed several years back. And at the same time, you can't blindly jump into the trends well as I call it. So how do you balance? And that is a continuous game that we play.

M: What are your all-time favourite colours for brides and grooms?

JJV: I’m a big advocate for reds for brides. I think it’s the colour of India. And that’s why nearly half of my styles every season, in terms of wedding outfits, are done in reds. Other than that, I’m kind of partial towards metallics, soft pinks and pastels. So I’m pretty much open to any colours, the only colours I tend to avoid are very bright, vibrant, psychedelic colours. That’s not our DNA, and that’s something we steer clear of. Men, of course, have become much more adventurous, although they still tend to gravitate towards creams, ivories and beiges. Whereas I think they can and should experiment with a little more colour. So I guess that’s going to change.

M: We’ve observed how social media has come to play a huge role in brides deciding what to wear for their wedding functions. What are your thoughts on this? What have been some of the shifts you’ve observed in the way brides interact with their wedding outfits over the years?

JJV: The thing about social media is that it's a boon and a bane, and I always maintain that. When I look at it from a business point of view, it's amazing how I, sitting anywhere from the palm of my hand, can create content, which means, manifests itself as shops all across the world without actually opening a physical store. So the entire world can see what we're doing and I think that's magical. You can simply sit anywhere, tap on your screen, and you'll see everything that you want to see. But having said that, when it becomes an addiction, it takes away from the magic of life. We must balance things to live a fulfilling life. Most importantly, when it comes to couture, true luxury, and physical spaces are so important because we are not selling fast fashion. We're selling something so special that unless you see it, feel it, touch it, or take in the ambience of the space that it belongs to, it'll be difficult for one to understand what couture is all about. So I think it's a double-edged sword, but it's great for exposure. I think it gets your, messaging across to a large audience, and I suppose that helps in more and more people discovering you. So from that point of view, it's fantastic. But, otherwise, I think it's a bit of a rat race, and one has to run it carefully.

M: What’s the one fashion faux pas you often see brides make?

JJV: The one fashion faux pas I often see brides make is going for an overdose of makeup, and hair which is too elaborate. I feel that since your clothes and jewellery are already so strong, and you are going to walk into an environment which would be lush and luxurious, you really shouldn’t lose yourself behind those layers of makeup. Fortunately, nowadays, we have brilliant makeup artists. So just try and keep it as close to the way you look as you can. And work a lot with stylists. It’s a new breed that has emerged, and they seem to be quite good at what they do.

M: Who are the young designers in the wedding and bridal design space that you think everyone should have on their radars for the coming years? What makes you excited about the fashion space in the country?

JJV: You know, I'm unfortunately quite a reclusive guy, and I kind of do my own thing, mind my own business. But, you know, I've always believed in this and I stand by that. India is a powerhouse of talent, and there's so much here. Now, designers have, perhaps, the greatest treasure of craft and textile that they can lay their hands on right here in their country. No other country can lay claim to the kind of handcraft expertise that we possess. So I think as designers, we have to be extremely responsible to support everything that India has created, the legacy of Indian craft, the sort of potential that one can explore given the kind of assets we have at hand. And yet we have to modernise them and keep them relevant to today's generation so that they interact. I think we're at a beautiful space of time where we can today jump back into the past, pull out things, make them cool and modern and relevant, and present a sophisticated and elegant statement of luxury, which perhaps is unparalleled and unsurpassed till now.

M: What’s next for JJ Valaya?

JJV: Well, I’m a man of the moment. So at the present moment, I’m truly cherishing and being very, very grateful for the opportunities that I’m getting. I’m wildly excited about what’s coming next for us. We have a beautiful team and we tend to have fun in what we’re doing at this present moment. To be able to create and outdo ourselves every single season, so that one day, when we look back, we know that we’ve been responsible for creating some of the finest that India’s ever seen.