I Am A Couturier At Heart,” Says JJ Valaya, Who Will Be Showcasing 66 Garments at ICW 2023 – News18

The glory of royalty, the free spirit of the nomade and the glamour of the art deco are three constant expressions of JJ Valaya couture. For someone who loves his research and unearthing long lost treasures and sharing it with the world, JJ Valaya is a storyteller par excellence.

Ahead of the showcase, JJ Valaya spoke to News18 about his much-awaited collection Baroda, which tells a story about Gujarat, focusing on Indian couture and why he loves showcasing at India Couture Week every season.

Excerpts from the interview:

Every couture show is incomplete without your constant expressions Royale-Nomade-ArtDeco. How did this season’s couture collection theme ‘Baroda’ become the voice of JJ Valaya?

Yes that’s true, we have always been helming a tagline which says Royale, Nomade and Art Deco and all three expressions are a constant in everything we do. Baroda is essentially the name of the collection but the story behind it is how Gujarat as a territory has been under several rules over the past several centuries.

The ones that we have highlighted this time are the rule of the Maratha Empire, Mughal Empire and the Portuguese. Such diverse influences and we kind of juxtaposed little elements from all these various cultures and combined it with nuances from Gujarat including the Kutch, the nomadic tribes, lippan art work, a craft uniquely done in Gujarat, mashru fabrics which is also unique to the region.

All this comes together in a complete collection which obviously will be laced with the spirit of our three attributes, the glory of royalty, the free spirit of the nomad and the glamour and modernity of the art deco period.

JJ Valaya’s couture has always highlighted a story of the past and has weaved it into a story of the present. How would you describe the silhouettes of this season’s couture collection?

Silhouettes are getting sharper and sort of more refined with every passing season. It is a couture collection, so we don’t get overtly experimental with silhouettes, because the focus is always on Indian couture, which essentially means weddings. Therefore one sees a lot of lehengas, sarees, shararas and sherwanis, and bridal finery for both women and men. Within the silhouettes there’s a lot of developments, there’s always a nip or tuck which kind of makes the blouse sexier or the saree more special or the lehenga more glorious.

Storytelling through fashion has always been one of your fortes, and has given a new meaning to couture presentations. What should we look forward to at India Couture Week?

We work close to eight to 10 months to put a collection together, right from research to prototyping to developments, to actually putting it all together. And it all has to come together in a presentation which lasts 20-25 minutes but it is a culmination of so much hard work. It is not just a showing of clothes, it is a showing of a dream, a sentiment, an emotion which has ruled us over six to eight months.

We have to tell a story, not only through the clothes, but also through the set, music, lights, styling, and choice of models. Everything goes in synchronicity to create something which is absolutely mindblowing and very special. I am hopeful that we will be able to live up to what we have been doing for the past 33 years, which is simply creating magic and trying to do something really special and interesting. We will be presenting 66 garments on the runway.

JJ Valaya is synonymous with Indian craftsmanship. For this collection, what embroideries and prints will be unveiled at the show?

Yes, we are synonymous with Indian craftsmanship and now the modern avatar of it is our prints. And between the two we kind of achieve our ethiopia. Of course it is a never ending journey, whenever we think we have done something brilliant, we start work all over again and think of what we can do which will make it even more special. And that’s the true evolution of a fashion brand. In fact, in couture we are fortunate to have the luxury to create such masterpieces year after year, which are accepted, embraced and loved by so many.

What makes India Couture Week special and why do you love showcasing every year?

India Couture Week over the years has become the ultimate platform to showcase the ultimate luxury in couture in India, which means the finest of clothing. The finest of India’s craft being interpreted by the finest designers across the country. And I think what can be more special than getting to see all of them in one place and at one time. I am a couturier at heart. I have always enjoyed creating beautiful clothes where we get to kind of experiment with our special embroidery, prints, colours, fabrics and styling. So there’s no reason why we should not be a part of it [India Couture Week].

JJ Valaya the designer or JJ Valaya the photographer, which one of the two has made you who you are today?

It’s not about the designer, the photographer or the interior decorator. I think it is the creative nomad in me. The restless soul that’s constantly rediscovering and reinterpreting the world in our sort of unique way and that’s really the very soul of who I am. I find it incredibly boring to keep doing the same things again and again. So my quest is kind of discovering, going back in time and finding lost visual treasures, which need to be brought to the world and that’s the journey and let’s just say I am enjoying every single moment of it.

JJ Valaya’s collection Baroda will be showcased at the JW Marriott Hotel, New Delhi at 9:30 pm.