Some Fashion Gets Finer With Time
By Ayesha K.

Born and raised in the historical city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India’s premier fashion designer, JJ Valaya [right], has made a name for himself as one of the most original and inspired designers working today. Producing apparel literally suited for royalty, his fashion house works under the mantra of ‘the future of the past,’ fortifying the bygone era of Royal India within contemporary couture. The House of Valaya, launched in 1992, works with traditional craft methods from all regions of India, combining an eclectic array of colors, texture and hand embroidery with Swarovski crystals . Valaya’s timeless designs draw inspiration from among the riches of West Bengali Kantha, the mirrorwork of Rajasthan, and Punjabi flowerwork, as well as from other cultures. Valaya’s high fashion couture collection includes saris, embrorderied evening jackets, women’s outfits, men’s suits and waistcoats.

While the revolutionary fusion of traditional crafts and contemporary haute couture generates an alluring, urbane, one-of-a kind handiwork that has become the signature of the House of Valaya, such a synthesis beholds further relevance as it signifies the emergence of local tradition into the global economy. Valaya has rejuvenated and redefined age-old Indian crafts as a profitable niche within the cosmopolitan market, allowing the valued artistic processes to live on despite the pressures of globalization. In 1994, Valaya became the first Indian couture label to have a solo show in India. Met with enthused reactions by fashion critics and buyers, the label opened JJ Valaya Life, India's largest single designer store till date. The label’s New Delhi flagship store was opened in 1996 and a second flagship store is being launched in Dubai with an October 2004 opening. Since 1997, the House of Valaya has shared the catwalk with many of the world’s top designers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, London, Dubai, New York and Paris. As one of the most respected designers in contemporary fashion, JJ Valaya continues to wow fashion’s toughest critics with his two apparel lines, Conture and Diffusion, and his product labels Valaya Home and Studio Valaya. JJ Valaya’s innovative and groundbreaking styles assure the majestic era of royal India will continue to reign well into the present.

	JJ Valaya's Website

In the past decade, the House of Valaya has designed an eclectic array of clothing for both men and women, special occasions and daily couture. What is quintessentially Valaya ?
Valaya is all about ‘the future of the past,’ our amalgamation of various crafts, such as embroideries and weaves, that we purposefully age to look antique, combined with signature contemporary styling. While we rely on the antiquated for inspiration, we ensure a deft, modern touch with the interesting usage of Swarovski crystal (of which I am the official brand ambassador in India), experimentation with digital printing and finally, some serious fooling around with cut and detail. If you invest in the [Valaya] label today, you invest in an heirloom…tweaked…. but an heirloom nevertheless. Pull us out after a decade and we’re still in fashion!

JJ Valaya is perhaps most recognized for its trousseau line. You once said that you interpret couture as “Trousseau for the great Indian wedding”. Can you elaborate?
The JJ Valaya label has long stood for the ultimate in trousseau luxury and occasion clothing. Our clients, therefore, are not restricted to affluent Indians alone, but include prominent families and royalty from the Middle East, and across the globe. Haute Couture in India means wedding fashion. When we create for the bride or the groom for their special day, we are dedicated to creating the most ravishing, grand--yet elegant-- outfit for the occasion. A single piece sometimes takes 50 craftsperson, several months and thousands of crystals to get that perfect look in place. We only do couture through our plush flagship store in New Delhi and in October, also from our new flagship in Dubai.

How did you become interested in fashion design?
Ever since I can remember, there have been creative instances in my life. My mother was a brilliant designer of children’s clothes, my brother an incredible cartoonist, my aunt a very talented interior decorator. In school, I excelled in fine arts and calligraphy so I suppose the net result was bound to be a creative one...fashion was a logical choice.

What continues to influence and inspire your designs?
I am a traveler…and a royal one at that . [I am] like a sponge and take in all the beauty around me and then let my imagination have fun. Every year, Valaya traverses the globe before coming out with five new collections before we decide on THE look for the season.

I greatly associate with royalty and culture, especially the entire era of luxury and grandeur that India was synonymous with. I tend to apply this association to my Couture as well as my Diffusion and Home lines.

When looking at the culture of India, [I] end up researching every province in every piece of information we can get our hands on. This is a supreme source of inspiration! It's endless! Put it all together…the scale, the detail, the gems and jewels, the extravagance, the debauchery…how can one ever run out of inspiration?

This fall season was about the contradictions between rough and finished, between good and evil, between darkness and light. Amongst the many avatars I will wear this season are those of Chingiz Khan (I condemn the killing streak and choose to highlight instead the amazing rugged weaves and influences of a Mongolia sandwiched between Russia and China); I am also the Indian prince, who so interestingly embraced influences from the British Raj and married them effortlessly with tradition; I am also a Fakir ... mystical, yet powerful.

Do you have an artistic process when designing?
Dream…research…dream….execute….dream….detail….dream…..

Do you have a muse?
The ever-changing muse does exist and I keep falling in love with her. (She exists in my mind, of course, and sometimes I actually discover her.) It is the muse who helps me dream and then realize the dream as commercial collections.

Valaya has dressed top celebrities from around the world. Is there anyone that you haven’t dressed yet, but would love to?
There are so many people I haven’t dressed and would love to…Madonna (clichéd choice but so incredibly fascinating), Monica Belluci (now one of the most beautiful moms), Jennifer Connelly (brilliant performer….and sexy as well), Michelle Yeoh (divine beauty), Tom Hanks (sheer talent), Liv Tyler (HOT…HOT…HOT), Sophie Marceau. …think I better stop!

What do you consider to be the ideal style for the contemporary fashionista?
I think it is fabulous to combine Couture with High street fashion. Wear that fabulously embroidered Valaya jacket with Levis Jeans and Jimmy Choo or Manola Blahnik shoes. Or perhaps, a leather corset with an embroidered skirt and boots. Couture remains relevant as long as people want to push creativity and push fashion to extremes. High Street and high [couture] fashion bounce ideas and trends off each other. They may appear to be rivals but actually they feed each other.

Which Western designers do you most admire?
I like Jean Paul Gaultier for his madness, Ralph Lauren for his Business acumen, Valentino for his elegance…the list is endless! The world is so full of creatively enlightened designers that it would almost be unfair to play favorites.

What is the core function of your clothes? To be worn or admired as artwork?
Oh, definitely to be admired, worn and then to transform. My work entails a most fascinating display of cunning, risqué and beautiful clothes. Sometimes un-wearable, but is that not the spirit of fashion? When you wear a Valaya original, you are expected to naturally possess fine taste, respect for culture and a considerable amount of chutzpah! I think it is important to create fashion that will shock as well as to inspire.

Photographs courtesy JJ Valaya